If the World is Ending, We're Throwing the Party
by Cela Fille
Summary: -"And maybe someday I'll believe/That we are all apart of some bigger plan/Tonight I just don't give a damn/If the world is ending, I'm throwing the party" AU. Being the new girl isn't exactly Dylan Marvil's forte but Windsor takes it to a whole new level
1. Prologue

It's been a ridiculously long time since I last posted a multi-chapter fic... like, a year.

Whoa.

Anyway, here it is :)

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Welcome to **Windsor Academy**.

Just the name seems to whisper _"better than you"_ from its world-renowned endowments and ivy-covered dormitories. Maybe its because that every person to walk through its polished halls has matriculated to Ivies such as Harvard, Yale, and Princeton. Or perhaps it's due to its alumni list, which boasts of some of the world's wealthiest men and women- politicians sitting in the President's cabinet, Oscar-winners, Nobel Prize-recipients, and the like.

Or maybe its just the scandal.

Meet the **A-list**.

**the queen bee**

_Crisp navy blazer. White and emerald plaid skirt. Choker of freshwater pearls. Time to flaunt. Prada stilettos resound like gunshots against the marble floor as she walks- nay, struts- like a model to her next class. _

Perfection, say hello to **Kristen Gregory**, whose 4.0 GPA, more designer clothes than Saks Fifth Avenue, and drool-worthy boyfriend are merely the tip of the iceberg. How about those few hundreds of thousands of dollars her lovely little Mastercards or a face that even Vogue models would grow green with envy for? Or her Hollywood-glamorous half-siblings, **Claire **and **Todd Lyons**? Or the fact that just about every Ivy League in the country is practically begging for her to join? She's living on Cloud Nine, so why does that nerdy social pariah **Chris Plovert **make her want to rethink things? Mark the time and day, the ice queen has just officially melted.

**the it girl**

_Lazy smirk and mischievous eyes grace her ethereal features as she yawns and languidly stretches, her tangled gold hair rippling down her back like a waterfall. Lustful eyes travel eagerly across her lithe frame as she playfully blows her admirers a kiss and saunters out of the room. _

She's _that_ girl. The one you swore you saw on strutting down the Chanel runway during Fashion Week in Paris- or was she the mysterious lover of that hot new actor you saw on Page Six of US Weekly? Probably both. The one who was kissing boys when you thought they had cooties and makes every girl in the room take a hit on their self-esteem. Serena van der Woodsen's got nothing on **Claire Lyons**. She's the uncontested wild child of Windsor Academy, so with equally notorious best friends beside her and admission to Brown locked up, there's nothing stopping her from turning life at Windsor into one hell of a party.

**the devil incarnate**

_Perfecting her innocent smile, she smooths her flaxen hair and adjusts the straps of her cream-colored lace bra. Placing a chaste kiss on the sleeping boy's stubble-free cheek, she skips away, ready to inform the unfortunate girlfriend that she just fucked the girl's boyfriend of three years._

The 'innocent one'? Please. Black is the new white and **Olivia Ryan **knows that better than anyone. With her sugary blonde hair and soulful cerulean eyes, who would suspect her of cheating on her adoring boyfriend with the majority of the male population at Windsor, cheating on exams, or making her personal goal in life to make _yours _miserable? She floats under the radar of adults and her gullible boyfriend, and nothing can change that. But will her picture-perfect world come tumbling down on top of her when everything she's ever done comes back to haunt her? Better watch your back....

**the drama parasite**

_Paint-splattered nails fly across the keys, wicked smile in place. She raises her navy and white LG chocolate to eye level and snaps the picture. Oh my, my, my, those two should have hidden their clandestine affair better. Clicking the send button with a hint of satisfaction, she smirks and let the drama unfold._

Gossip Girl can kiss **Massie Block**'s True Religions-clad ass. If her ever-present smirk and amber eyes that just scream _I-know-something-that-could-turn-you-into-a-social-pariah-in-less-than-thirty-seconds_ isn't enough to make you nervous, the LG chocolate in her hand that holds the power to make or break (usually break) your reputation should. Don't let her thoughtful, considerate voice fool you when you cry over your boyfriend's affair with your best friend. She's got enough dirt on everyone to blackmail the president himself, so tread carefully in her waters- or you might just drown.

**the selfless saint**

_Nervous eyes dart around the crowded room. Spilled beer. People who are definitely not dating slinking away into rooms together. Drunken kisses. Hands tightening on the cup of water (is it even water?) in her hands, she shies back toward the edge of the wall, waiting for the opportune moment to escape._

She's still holding onto her precious 'flower' for dear life, so boys know better than trying to get in her pants, no matter how undeniably beautiful she is. With button-downs that are buttoned up just a _bit _too high and skirts that leave too much to the imagination, it's a wonder that someone so... (plain? boring? prudish? all of the above?) like **Nikki Dalton **managed to snag the attention and friendship of the notoriously exclusive **Kemp Hurley**. But even the most sheltered girls have a wild side, and she's prepared to take Senior Year by storm.

**the tall, dark, and handsome**

_Exhaling a puff of smoke, he dangles his freshly lit, French-imported cigarette between his perfect, GQ-worthy lips. Leaning against the wall nonchalantly, his half-closed eyes flicker to his Rolex, oblivious of the stares and giggles from his fan club standing just a few feet away._

If **Kemp Hurley **even glances your way, you're probably either a world-famous model or have a huge tumor growing on your face. What do expect by a guy who runs around with the likes of **Claire Lyons **and **Nikki Dalton **and whose Dad practically owns a Playboy mansion? Stunningly handsome, dark, and broody, he's the definition of sexy. Sebastian Valmont would be proud of those cocky half-smiles and smoldering eyes. Hearing one word in that velvety voice is enough to devote your entire Myspace page to him- but didn't Sirens always lead sailors to their demise?

**the big man on campus**

_Juggling a soccer ball on his knee, his deep laugh resounds through the hallway, one taut, muscular arm slung over his model-worthy girlfriend's thin shoulders. Dirty blonde hair waves fall into his playful chocolate brown eyes and he runs a hand through them, smirking at the knowledge that everything in the perimeter with two X-chromosomes has gone weak in the knee._

He's the Troy Bolton, the John Tucker, the Austin Ames of Windsor- times a hundred. Hot as hell- given. The definition of A-list- given. Completely taken- given. But **Derrick Harrington **can only stay with one girl for so long. And the beautiful and daring **Claire Lyons **has grabbed his attention. Too bad he's already practically engaged to the Gabriella to his Troy, the Kate to his John, the Sam to his Austin in the form of **Kristen Gregory**. And too bad **Claire Lyons **has decided that she "doesn't do commitment". Psh. As if that'll stop him from trying.

**the unattainable  
**

_They sigh longingly as he walks by, making sure to keep their whispers low as not be caught. Sparkling cobalt eyes, tousled red hair just begging to touched, visible muscles underneath his Ralph Lauren polo- girls, eat your heart out. _

Move over Chace Crawford, **Todd Lyons **has arrived. He's got the looks, the brains (um, hello, early acceptance to Oxford University?), soccer skills that put David Beckham to shame- and no girlfriend. **Kristen Gregory **is super protective of her beloved half-brother after a certain incident that included Skye Hamilton, an ugly breakup, and an attempt to jump of the Chemistry Building- and will not let anyone (namely, the majority of the girls in the school who lust after him) even come near him. So this untouchable hottie is completely single- until a certain newbie has caught his eye.

**the sweetheart**

_Bouquet of 28 long-stemmed black roses- one for every month they've been dating- balanced in one hand, and a mixtape in the other- featuring every song of importance (their first dance, their anniversary song, "their song", the song when he first told her loved her, etc.), he stood in the hallway outside his girlfriend's dorm, hoping that the moans in her room were coming from her room mate. _

He makes Brandon Buchanan look like Chuck Bass- minus the sexual orientation confusion. Sweeter than a 12-pound velvet chocolate mousse cake sprinkled with Splenda, **Cam Fisher **is the epitome of the devoted, adorable boyfriend every girl hopes for. Too bad all that charm and obvious love is wasted on **Olivia Ryan**. He's blind to the _sexcapades _of his seemingly angelic girlfriend and oblivious to the **Nikki Dalton**'s die-hard school-girl crush on him.

**the exchange student **

_He balances his coveted lacrosse stick in one hand while expertly throwing and catching the ball and sending a sexy wink to the unsuspecting underclassman who immediately drops her AP French textbooks sprawling across the floor. Leaning casually on the row of lockers, his dark eyes sparkle with mischief as he jokes around with the rest of the Varsity team._

If his last name isn't enough, that seductive Spanish accent of his will get every girl on her knees. Notorious bad boy **Josh Hotz **has the record any highschool truant would be proud of- he's been kicked out of four schools both in and outside the US and currently holds the status of "the hottie exchange student from Barcelona". Just because **Massie Block** has already staked her claim on him doesn't mean he's ready to settle for less. He's prepared to charm a certain **Nikki Dalton **off her "never-been-in-heels"-feet. So what if she's completely smitten by that homo loser, **Cam Fisher**? He's never turned down a challenge before...

_Enter..._

**the new girl**

_Slipping lime-tinted aviators to cover her striking jade eyes, she quickly surveys the scene, mentally noting and categorizing everyone she sees. Her flowy BCBG strapless dress in "snow white" and matching low-heeled mules simply scream inexperience. Boarding school never seemed like a worse idea._

It's not easy being the girl who switches schools more often than Olivia Ryan's flavor of the week (Or was it day? Or hour, more likely) to keep up with her mother's spontaneous "change-of-scenery". Being the new girl in town isn't exactly **Dylan Marvil**'s forte, but Windsor Academy is possibly the worst she's ever faced. Where old money and status mean everything, _just _being the daughter of famed talk show host Merri-Lee Marvil is not going to cut it. And getting mixed up with the likes of **Todd Lyons** and thereby cementing her a place on **Kristen Gregory**'s hit list? She can kiss any chance of blending in like a sheep goodbye.

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I'm a bit rusty but... whaddaya think?

Review, please :)


	2. i came here to make you dance tonight

hola, peeps.

so... i know this is semi-lame, but i was bored and put up pictures of the main characters on my profile, if you want to check them out (after you read and leave a nice, lengthy review of course :D). shout-out to maddie for the idea for todd's pic (adoreadoreadore jeremy sumpter!) and this chapter is officially dedicated to sydney (emeraldeyes101), my online bffl of one whole year (as of june 6th). i feel terrible about losing your oneshot in the great computer crash of... last weekend(?) but i'll (hopefully) make up for it in this chapter (brackets are fun).

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**_the queen bee_**

Juggling a stack of glossy, unread Vogue magazines in one arm and a metallic pink iPod dock in the other, she twirled around her now cluttered room, simultaneously trying to clean up before her new roommate arrived and chatting with her mother on her Limited Edition sleek, iPhone 3G.

"Mother, are you sure there is nothing you can do to fix this atrocity?" Kristen Gregory asked through clenched teeth, referring to of course, the fact that she was forced to actually have a roommate. Her parents had paid extra on top of the normal (well, sky-high) tuition fees to ensure that every year, their daughter would receive the coveted single in Benetton House. That way, she'd be free to _study _and concentrate on her schoolwork without the hassles of a distracting dorm mate... or so argued her parents. More importantly, it was simply the need for some private space to sneak in her delicious boyfriend, Derrick Harrington, in after hours- as well as provide a safe asylum for her wardrobe from the clutches of new-Dior-trouser-stealing bitches like Massie Block.

"Kristen, darling, I assure you that I've spoken to the headmistress about this already. But there are a lack of available rooms for someone with the, ahem, _prestige_," Her mother sniffed disapprovingly at the thought of someone with an equally high caliber. "Of your new roommate, and I'm afraid the headmistress was quite stern."

"Ugh!" she stomped her Gucci pump-clad foot on the plush, alabaster carpet and let out a melodramatic sigh. "Are you sure, mother?"

"Yes Kristen, I am positive. Now, there's something else I need to discuss with you."

"What?"

"I believe you need a tutor for Physics."

"What?!" Her mouth fell open and the Berry Elixer-flavored Five gum on her molars nearly fell out. "A _tutor_? I have straight A's!"

"Yes, well, your SAT II scores don't seem to reflect positively on that. And Yale does not accept low SAT scores, do you understand?" Her mother's voice instantly grew steely, as it did whenever the prospect of grades and college came up. "I've already spoken to the headmistress, and she assured me that it could be arranged. Just three extra hours a week, until you can retake the exam and you can stop. But I will not be pleased unless you receive a near-perfect score or better, do you understand?"

"Yes, Mother." she sighed, flopping onto her swan feather-stuffed mattress.

"Good." She sounded reasonably pleased. "Now, if you don't mind dear, I must go. That charming man, Oliver Hastings- you know, the movie producer- is expected today for the merger meeting, and everything must be perfect!"

Kristen rolled her eyes. Perfect? Meaning, with lavender-scented candles, soothing music and skimpy lingerie? She idly wondered where Antonio, the current flavor of the week, was. Her mother had been through a grand total of six (failed) marriages, one of which included Jay Lyons, her real father (though she took her mother's surname), the devastatingly handsome (not to mention wealthy to the extreme) British actor, thereby forcing two half-siblings, Claire and Todd Lyons, into the family. Of course their real mother was not a home-wrecking whore- no, they had a perfectly normal- well, by elite standards anyway- French Vogue model who loved "_chareety_ galas and long walks on _zee beach_".

"As you wish, Mother." She examined her reverse-French manicure with a small sigh. "I'll call you later, okay? Bye."

She tossed her the stack of magazines onto the royal purple silk duvet and let out a groan as her fifteen, unpacked, overstuffed Louis Vuitton suitcases stared back at her. Scrolling through her Contacts List, she quickly hit Speed Dial #4 and balanced the phone gingerly between her slender shoulder and ear while attempting to unpack her coveted designer shoe collection.

_"Yo, you've reached the Derrick Harrington. If it's one of my bros, no, I did not steal your Playboys- Cam Fisher did and stashed them in my room. If it's a hot girl, hey babe, I'm free between- I-I mean, get lost because I have a super hot girlfriend and don't need anyone else. If it's Kristen, just give me the time and place and I'll be there... If it's Mom or Dad, no, I did not fail that Spanish test- my teacher is a douche and is trying to fail me on purpose. If it's anyone else, I have no idea how you got this number, but get the hell away from me you stalker- _BEEP."

"Hey, Derrick..." she cooed, trying not to let her frustration seep into her voice. "I haven't seen you for _days. _Where the hell have you been, babe? Anyways, I was thinking... sneak in my room after curfew? I'll try to get rid of my roommate, mkay? I stopped by at Victoria's Secret the other day and just wanted to model some stuff for you," She giggled. "So, see you then. Love you, bye!"

She let out an exasperated sigh and continued to unpack. Derrick hadn't responded to her texts, voice mails or emails all week. Stupid boyfriends. Maybe she would dump him tonight.

_**the it girl**_

"I have an idea," she announced, rolling out from the bed with a victorious smirk. She made her way across the darkened room and sat cross legged at her desk. Her friends glanced at her warily as she grabbed her metallic green Sidekick LX and rapidly began texting.

"Claire, if this is one of your schemes to streak across campus in a burlap sack or submerge the the dining hall in red wine or something, count me out." Nikki Dalton said, placing a manicured hand on her slender hips. "Honestly, do you _want _to get suspended before school even starts?"

"Oh please," she scoffed, rolling her striking cerulean eyes outlined heavily in Urban Decay sparkle liner from Sephora. "As if I'll get in trouble for it. Daddy would not stand for it if I got even a single detention. And besides, drowning Commons in red wine would be an incredible waste of alcohol. No, I was thinking a bit simpler." She grinned like the Cheshire Cat. "How does a little... rave to get pumped before classes start sound to you guys?"

"That's a terrible plan!" Nikki replied firmly, hands placed resolutely on her hips. "Two days before classes?"

"I like it," Kemp Hurley drawled from the bed, running a hand through his luxurious auburn curls. "Things were getting a bit... boring here anyway." He slowly rose and stretched, his chiseled six pack and toned arm muscles exposed as he was only wearing a pair of Calvin Klein boxers.

"How big exactly will this _little _party be, hm?" Nikki shot from the vanity, eyes narrowed as she glared at her irritatingly nonchalant best friends.

"Oh, not too big. Just, you know, the Usual Suspects. And a few of the Legacy too, if they're up for it," Claire answered, referring to a) the A-listers who, despite obvious alcohol abuse, drug usage and infractions of major school rules, never seemed to get in any kind of trouble, and b) the Usual Suspects' precedents, whom, after a throwing a the largest party in Windsor history complete with strippers from Brazil and a few hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of coke, weed and ecstasy, were dubbed "The Legacies".

"Well, I think-"

"Nikki? Shut. Up."

Claire sent a grateful smile in Kemp's direction and scrolled through her Contacts list, and sent the mass text.

This was going to be one hell of a night.

_**the big man on campus**_

_One night, yeah, one more time... thanks for the memories, even they weren't so great. _

He jogged over to the bench and picked up his vibrating LG Shine, chocolate brown eyes skimming the newest text message as a wide grin spread across his pretty-boy face.

**from: **claire lyons

**to: **"the usual suspects" [kemp hurley; nikki dalton; derrick harrington; kristen gregory; todd lyons; olivia ryan; cam fisher; josh hotz; massie block], "the legacy" [harris fisher; skye hamilton; chris abeley; layne abeley; dempsey solomon; allie-rose singer; griffin hastings; saylene homer; kori geldman; alicia rivera; nina callas]

**message: **hey people- party at the the lyons penthouse at 11 tonite- corner of 86th upper east side, top floor. get your own ride, we'll provide the booze ;) be there, bitches.

"Yo, Derrick!"

He turned around to send a victorious grin to a slightly flushed Josh Hotz, who jogged over from the lacrosse fields.

"Party tonight at Claire and Todd's penthouse!" he kept his voice low, but his eyes sparkled with excitement.

"In the city? How are we going to get there?" Josh questioned, whipping out his own phone and reading the text. He ran a hand through his slightly sweaty, chocolate waves, a frown line creasing between his eyebrows. Windsor, located in Upstate New York, was a good two hours drive to New York City.

"I'll take care of it," Derrick waved it off like an annoying fly. "This is going to be sick."

"You're just happy you can see your beloved _Claire _again..." his best friend retorted, swinging his huge lacrosse bag over his muscled shoulder with an eye roll. "Might I remind you that you already have a girlfriend?"

On cue, "3 Missed Calls from: Kristen" popped up on Derrick's phone and his grin faltered.

"Dammit," he muttered and listened to the voice mail. "Well, whatever. I'll just dump her tonight or something."

"Dump her?" Josh fought the urge to burst out laughing. "Dude, you do not break up with Kristen Gregory. Remember what happened with Griffin Hastings when he told her 'he wanted to take a break'? Fucking _Princeton _revoked his acceptance."

"That was never proven to be Kris' fault," Derrick argued, more for his sake than Josh's.

"Yeah, but everyone knew that it was..." He responded simply, a slight smirk forming on his face. "Trust me, dude. If you wanna end things with her, make _her _break up with _you. _Then you have nothing to lose."

"Except my pride."

"Get over yourself, Narcissus. What's more important? Your ego or your future?"

"You sound like freaking _Dear Abby_. Is there something you need to tell me, Josh?"

"Fuck you, man. Fuck. You."

**_the new girl_**

Barely five seconds had passed and she already felt out of place. Her classic-and-classy white BCBG strapless that fluttered around her knees in the wind was too preppy, not to mention too _decent_, for a place like this. Two girls in barely-there Crayola-colored minis and cleavage-enhancing tanks strode by, glanced at her and let out hyena-laughs that forced her to roll her eyes. Just because she didn't dress like a slut made her a reject? Stupid boarding school. Taking a deep breath, she slipped on her lime-tinted C&C aviators and shook her hair out. Even if the remains of her dry toast and cantaloupe she had for breakfast was threatening to come up again, she put on a confident air and lifted her head, ready to take on whatever Windsor threw at her.

And promptly crashed into a large, rather hard object and fell to the ground, causing a tiny rip to appear on the hem of her new dress.

"I'm so sorry!" the thing... er, person, apologized and she lifted her green-eyed gaze to meet a pair of friendly cerulean ones. "I should've watched where I was going..."

She bit her shimmering lip and tried very hard not to squeal. Because this guy, no, more like freaking _god, _was ridiculously hot. He had tousled red hair that seemed to shine unnaturally in the light like in a Pantene Pro-V commercial (lucky man-bitch), a soccer-toned body with visible muscles underneath his Killers band tee and cargo shorts and a killer smile- that was totally, totally aimed in her direction. She silently allowed him to help her up and tried to regain her composure.

"Yeah, you should have," She rolled her eyes, but shyly fingered the vintage gold lock-and-key on her Juicy charm necklace. "But that doesn't fix the fact that you owe me exactly four hundred sixty-three dollars and eighteen cents for a new dress."

He raised his eyebrows slightly and laughed, sending unexpected tingles down her spine.

"Ooh, a feisty one, aren't you? Well, how about I make it up to you somehow?" he leaned in slightly and her heart skipped a beat.

She tapped her chin and pretended to give it some thought.

"Maybe... depends what you have in mind."

"First of all, I can help you find the Admissions Office, because you're definitely new."

When she raised her eyebrows questioningly, he smiled and motioned her to follow him down the cobblestone pathway.

"Trust me, you're very noticeable," He continued with a mischievous twinkle in his eye. "And secondly, there's this small party tonight in the city. My penthouse actually. And I'm in desperate need of an escort. You want in?"

"How does that benefit me?" she teased, but inwardly thanked her lucky stars. A hot guy asking her out and an A-list party, all in one day? Maybe fate didn't hate her after all. "I'd being doing _you_ a favor by coming. And besides, you don't even know my name."

"Dylan Marvil," he said immediately and she stared at him, open-mouthed.

"You, sir, are a creeper."

"No..." he blushed slightly and rubbed the back of his neck with a sheepish grin. "I just recognize you from your mom's show. The Daily Grind, right? My mom's obsessed."

"Well," she said, slightly flustered by the attention. "I still don't know your name yet..."

His smile faltered for a moment and he glanced around furtively before smirking.

"That, _miss, _is for me to know and you to find out. You're in Benetton house, aren't you? Most girls with famous parents are, anyway. I'll pick you up at 8. Be there, or... well, just be there. I don't like getting stood up." He grinned and ran a hand through his messy hair. "Here's the Admissions Office. You can get your dorm assignment and keys and all here." He nodded toward the brick building in front of them with a large 'WINDSOR ADMISSIONS' plaque on the door. "See you then, Dylan Marvil." Winking, he turned back around and jogged away, disappearing around the corner of the building.

She let a small squeal and walked into the Admissions building with a wide grin on her face.

"Hi, I'm Dylan Marvil, I just transferred from L.A." she introduced herself and lifted the aviators from her jade-green eyes.

The elderly woman sitting behind the desk glanced up and gave her a friendly smile.

"Hello Dylan, it's nice to meet you. I'm Mrs. Stevenson. Here are you dorm keys and room assignments. Everything you should find in your room. I'll call in one of our student guides to show you where to go." She disappeared behind one of the doors and emerged with a pretty blonde trailing behind her.

"This is Sydney, she'll show you around. Have a nice day!"

The girl looked at her curiously, her emerald eyes quickly surveying Dylan up and down before giving her a friendly smile and leading her out the door. She was wearing a pair of comfy Puma running shorts and a faded Disney Couture t-shirt featuring a watercolor sketch of Winnie the Pooh. Her dirty blonde hair was up in a high ponytail and her scuffed yellow Converse thwacked against the cobblestone pathway as she led Dylan down the campus pathway.

"Hey, I'm Sydney, as you know... What did you say your name was, again?"

"I didn't, but it's Dylan. Dylan Marvil."

Sydney's eyebrows were in danger of disappearing into her hairline, and her deep green eyes widened with excitement.

"Whoa, so you're like, Merri-Lee Marvil's daughter? That is so cool! Have you ever met any celebrities? Like... like, Skandar Keynes or Jason Mraz, or- ohmigod! Rupert Grint? Please tell me you've met Rupert Grint! Ohmigod, I love him, so so so much! Don't you think he's just gorgeous? I love that red hair, it's so dreamy... Do you have his number? Holy crap, that would be so freaking awesome!"

Dylan inwardly cringed. This girl was cute and nice (a little _too _nice to be honest) and all but this way just ridiculous.

"Yes, I have met Rupert Grint. Yes, he is hot. And no, you cannot have his number. Can you just tell me how to get to Benetton House?" she said smoothly, cutting her overly enthusiastic tour guide's ramble short.

"Oh, yeah, sure. Definitely. Sorry about that." She smiled, slightly embarrassed. "I tend to get a bit overexcited when it comes to Ron Weasley slash Rupert Grint. Just ignore me."

Dylan smiled and nodded understandingly.

"No prob, I do the same thing when it comes to James Marsden. Who, unfortunately, I have yet to meet..."

Sydney let out a small laugh and took a sharp left turn, grabbing Dylan's freckled forearm to follow.

"Well, this is Benetton House. Best dorm on campus, if I do say so myself."

The building was a regal combination of white-washed brick and marble and ivy clung to the sides and twisted elaborately along the edges of the windows. In the front, there was a large, gold-plated plaque that read: "Benetton House: In Memory of William H. Benetton, Class of 1947. _Connaissance et Bonté_."

"That means, knowledge and goodness, in case you were wondering." Sydney piped up, leaning casually against the sign. "I live on the second floor with Harith-" She glanced at her sports watch with a small gasp and suddenly looked panicked. "Oh crap! I'm late for soccer practice! I'll catch you later, Dylan. Bye!" And she ran across the campus lawn with the speed of a Varsity sprinter and Dylan stared after her.

"Um... bye?"

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self-inserts are lame, but because we are best friends, we have to be rooming together, right? right :)

review, por favor?


	3. i don't care if i'm a guilty pleasure

sorry for the long wait (especially maddie&sydney, my most avid readers :D)... but hopefully you'll review anyway?

&&thank you _very _much for all the awesometastic feedback, everyone =)

* * *

**_the devil incarnate_**

"I can't do this..." the boy moaned and his eyes rolled up to the ceiling helplessly as the gorgeous blonde straddled his midriff and trailed kisses up his collarbone and neck. She placed her hand on his muscled chest and pursed her pomegranate-tinted lips.

"Oh, Danny..." She let out a soft sigh and ran a manicured hand through his sandy hair. "You can, and you will."

"Olivia!" He suddenly pushed her back and frowned. "I have a girlfriend, okay? A girlfriend who I love. And refuse to cheat on."

"What Carrie doesn't know won't hurt her..." She slowly began to undo the buttons of her shirt in a way that just reeked of experience, letting the creamy lace of her bra to peek through seductively. "Besides... you know you want it. We both do." She smirked and gently pushed him back down towards the mattress. "And don't worry. Carrie will never know."

His navy eyes darkened with lust but he continued to back away.

"N-no. I can't. Carrie... S-she trusts me. She loves me. I can't do this to her..." He trailed off as she slowly let her barely-there Rock&Republic destroyed denim mini fall to the ground. "Olivia, no-"

She chose to shut him up by the pressing her soft lips to his own and he, albeit regretfully, succumbed, running his rough hands through her silky flaxen curls and rapidly yanking his shirt off. She felt a slight pang of guilt in the pit of her stomach as she thought of Cam, Splenda-sweet, faithful Cammie, who was probably waiting outside her dorm for her after the long summer apart. But she pushed that thought away and concentrated on Danny Robbin's experienced hands trailing down her back and undoing her La Perle bra. Carrie Randolph deserved this. The bitch had ratted her out for cheating on last year's Chemistry final, which _almost _cost her chance at Dartmouth. She smirked almost victoriously as she relished the thought of finally getting Danny Robbins to cheat on his girlfriend-since-day-one-of-freshman-year. Any second now... _3... 2... 1..._

"Hey Danny! I was thinking tonight we could-"

They broke apart abruptly to stare at the open door, where a willowy girl with soft, chestnut waves stood, her hazel eyes widening at the sight.

"Carrie!" Danny shouted, shoving the girl on top of him to the floor with a _thump _and hastily grabbing his t-shirt. "No, wait! Listen, it's not what it looks like-"

Instead of running away sobbing like Olivia had hoped, Carrie just narrowed her eyes and folded her arms defiantly across her chest.

"Oh, really, Daniel? Please then, enlighten me. Why are you making out with someone who looks like she belongs in a brothel when you have a girlfriend, huh?" Her normally complacent, smiling face looked cold with fury.

"It wasn't me!" he almost begged, looking so desperate and pitiful, even Olivia almost felt bad. "She was practically raping me! I couldn't do anything about it!"

"She was raping you," she repeated, her eyes narrowing. "Right, well, it seemed to me like you were enjoying it," He opened his mouth to object. "Save it for someone who gives a shit, Robbins," she snapped scathingly and he closed his mouth, looking defeated. "I hope you and Windsor's very own STD-factory have a good time. Because we are _over_." She hitched the FCUK Ethnique Rose satchel onto her shoulder, turned on her heel and strode away.

"Wait! Carrie, please!" Danny shot a dangerous glare in Olivia's direction and ran after his ex-girlfriend, out the door and into the hallway. The door swung shut behind him and Olivia rose gracefully from the floor and adjusted her skirt and tousled hair with a self-satisfied smirk.

_Mission Accomplished. _

**_the selfless saint_**

"Nik! Hey, Nikki!"

She turned around, balancing her iHome in one hand and her stack of new watercolors in the other. Her frown deepened when she saw the familiar brunette boy jogging toward her, laser-whitened teeth bared into what would be heart-melting grin if she hadn't already immunized herself against the majority of the stupid guys at this school. She paused with an irritated sigh as he caught up to her and ran a hand through his already tousled chocolate waves.

"Hotz. What do you want?" She fought the urge to roll her eyes and began tapping her teal scrunched Tory Burch flat-clad foot. His smile faltered slightly but he quickly regrouped.

"I missed you too, Dalton," He shoved his hands into the pockets of his low-rise darkwash Diesels and glanced at her under his dark lashes. "Just wanted to say hey."

"Hey," she intoned mechanically. "Now, if you don't mind, I have to go." She turned and began to walk away.

"Wait!" He grabbed her thin, bangle-covered wrist and gave her a hopeful half smile. "Look, I wanted to know if maybe you'd want a ride to Claire's party tonight."

"I'm riding with Claire and Kemp in Kemp's new Humvee Mega Cruiser. Sorry." she said shrugging, and not looking very sorry at all.

"Oh," He dropped her wrist and bit his pale bottom lip. "Well, uh, maybe we can hang out later then, yeah?"

Before she had a chance to reply, a pair of hands covered her eyes and a too-deep-to-be-normal voice asked "Guess who?" in her Cartier diamond-studded ear. Instantly, butterflies erupted in the pit of her stomach.

She gently pulled the hands off and tried to stop the wide grin from spreading across her face as she stared into the drop-dead gorgeous face of her longtime, but completely taken crush, Cameron Fisher. His jet-black waves had gotten longer over the summer and now spilled into his smoldering one blue and one green eye. His hands were shyly tucked into the pockets of his green and black DC fleece and he smiled fondly at her as he kicked the floor with his checkered Vans. Beside her, Josh rolled his eyes but Nikki ignored him.

"Cam," she breathed, and instantly felt her cheeks grow warm as she blushed. "I missed you!"

She wrapped her arms around him and inhaled the intoxicating scent of Drakkar Noir. He hugged back tightly but let go first (like always) and grinned.

"Same here, Nik. I wish we could've met up, but with you in Paris for that major art course at the Louvre and me in L.A., it wouldn't have worked out... How was that course, by the way?"

"Oh, it was amazing," she smiled, twirling a strand of silky chestnut hair with her manicured finger. "One of my pieces even sold to this English duke who came for the exhibition night. It was just... wow."

"That's fantastic, Nik! Hey, look, I can't stay for too long right now, but do you want a ride to Claire's party tonight? You, me, and Olivia can go together in my car."

"Wait, what?" Josh asked in a disbelieving voice, throwing a disgusted look in Cam's direction. "You're kidding me, right?"

"Yes!" Nikki blurted, without even stopping to consider the fact that Cam's disgustingly beautiful and completely bitchy girlfriend would be present as well. Josh let out a small scoff behind her but she ignored him again and nodded.

"Cool- I'll pick you up at 8, then. Well, I have to go find Olivia now. I'm surprising her with a welcome back picnic on the Great Lawn. See you later!" Cam gave her a final grin and began walking away. Nikki stared after him until he disappeared behind the corner of the hallway and turned back to Josh, who had a hurt expression on his usually carefree, handsome face.

"Nikki-"

"I guess I'll see you around then, Josh..." she interrupted, feeling a brief twang of guilt in the pit of her stomach, and quickly walked away, leaving a confused, broken-hearted boy in her wake.

**_the unattainable_**

"Claire!"

He barged into the already-messy dorm room and slammed the door behind him with a groan. His sister, looking slightly bemused, raised an questioning eyebrow at him as she casually flipped through her newest Rolling Stones magazine from her bed.

"Todd. What's up?" She sent a crooked grin in his direction and rose, stretching languidly. "You look like the freaking FBI is after you. Finally get busted for all those pills? Or did you that girl you said was 'willing' turn out to be under legal age?" She let out a small laugh before slipping on her comfy UGG slippers and walking to her closet.

"No," he snapped, flopping on her already cluttered bed with a scowl. "Will you stop screwing around and listen?"

"Someone's touchy..." She tutted. "Cool it, Mr. I-have-a-stick-shoved-up-my-ass," She rolled her eyes and began scourging around the labyrinth of her walk-in closet. "What seems to be the problem?"

"Kristen..." he moaned, muffling his face with a pillow.

"Ah, the source of most of our misery." She nodded wisely and pulled out a glitzy, turquoise and emerald jewel-toned Marc Jacobs fringed flapper minidress, splattered with silver and gold sequins, and held it up to her lithe frame with a contemplative look. "Does this look sexy enough?"

Todd lifted his head from the pillow and shot her a disgusted look.

"Honestly? You look like a white trash skank."

Claire beamed and tossed the dress onto her bed.

"Fabulous! Everyone knows that if a brother says that his sister looks like a skank, it means the sister looks totally sexy but the shared genes give the brother the urge to make sure his friends don't hit on said sister. Duh," She smirked victoriously as Todd stared at her, open-mouthed. "What were you saying about our dear half-sister, again?"

"Well, she hasn't done anything... yet, anyway. Look, I met this girl today-"

"Like, ehmagawd!" Claire exclaimed, mimicking fellow Benetton girl Massie Block's 'ah-nnoying' valley girl speech. "No way! It's not like there are a bunch of people at this school who happen to have two X-chromosomes. What a revelation!"

"Shut up," Todd snarled and she simply cocked her head and smiled angelically in response. "Let me finish before you make some idiotic comment, alright?"

"My lips are sealed," she sighed dramatically. "Do continue."

"So there's this girl I met today. She's new. Totally hot, really cool, and I dunno... just more... real."

"Real?" Claire scoffed. "Like, she still had her old nose?"

"Will you shut up? I can leave, you know."

"No, no, please continue."

Todd sent her a wary glance before continuing.

"So, I like her. A lot. I mean, yeah, we only talked for like five minutes, but I felt we sort of had this connection, you know?" Seeing his sister turning red from holding in her laughter, he quickly finished. "And I want to hang out with her and all but you know how Kristen can get about me and girls... you know, after _the incident._"

"Yeah..." Claire nodded, letting out the breath she had been holding in. "Well, gay as that speech may have been, I've decided to help you, little bro."

"Little? By what, like two seconds?"

"No, more like 4 minutes. Those beautiful moments I had as an only child. If only they could last..."

"Shut up. So, you'll help?"

"Of course I will. On one condition..."

"I knew there was a catch."

**_the new girl_**

She grasped the handle of the door apprehensively, took a deep breath, and pushed it open. Immediately, the scent of Chanel No. 5 hit her nose and she stood in the doorway awkwardly, looking around. The room was great- almost a huge as the one in her summer bungalow on the LA beach side, with plush, alabaster carpets, a large, circular bed with a silky, lime green duvet, cream-colored walls, and enormous walk-in closets on either side of the room. Sitting cross-legged on the opposite, royal purple Tempur-Pedic Allura mattress was one of the most gorgeous girls Dylan had ever seen- which was saying something for someone who bumped into Hollywood's hottest celebrities on a daily basis.

She was frowning into the latest French Vogue, her flaxen blonde curls cascading past her shoulders and brushing the bedspread. Her sun-kissed face scrunched up slightly as she wrinkled her ski-slope nose, splattered with freckles (something that would have looked childish, but managed to simply increase her already heightened beauty), at something she must have found heinous in her fashion magazine. Her head barely rose when she heard Dylan enter- if anything, she trained her icy cobalt eyes even more intently on the article, probably dismissing her new roommate no more important than a common household maid.

"Hey, are you Kristen?" she asked, in a voice that sounded much too cheery and too much like a used-car salesman to be her own. "I'm Dylan Marvil, your new roommate."

After a fairly lengthy pregnant pause, Kristen finally rose from her bed and ran her reverse-manicured hands down the sides of her filmy, eggplant-colored Versace blouse and black pinstripe D&G pencil skirt. Her eyes, cold and calculating, shamelessly looked Dylan up and down before she responded.

"Yes, I'm Kristen Gregory," Her voice was too calm and collected to be normal, but Dylan shrugged it off, albeit uncomfortably. "I like long walks on the beach, waking up to the sound of rain, and laughing with old friends. I don't especially care about your interests, so don't bother. Here's how things work around here Miss Marvil," Kristen's tone instantly hardened and became brisk, almost business-like. "This room is mine. Not ours. Mine. You are simply staying here until further notice- meaning, when I find you a suitable replacement. Furthermore, you do not touch any of my books, makeup or electronic devices- ever. If you even step into my closet, you will die a _very_ painful death, I can assure you. Emo screamo music crap is hereby banned. You do not invite people over here without my permission- none of those Organic Chemistry study groups or anything. If you must hook up with someone, kick Massie Block out of her dorm and use it. I don't need to deal with any of that. Oh, and if you even go near my half-brother Todd, you'll be out of here before you can say 'Prada'. Understand?"

Dylan nodded numbly, almost quaking in her low-heeled Missoni mules. She was going to have to live under the thumb of this... evil, Siren-like demon-ess for the rest of the year? Oh, dear...

"Good," Kristen's hard expression melted into a saccharine-sweet smile. "I'm sure we're going to be the best of friends!"

* * *

heehee. i love kristen :) do you love/hate her too? how about you tell me in a review? *hint hint*


	4. idontknowwhatkindoffoolyou'retakingmefor

**okay, this chapter is extra long, for you crazy fan!girls... er, eager readers out there.**

* * *

**_the exchange student_**

--

The Official Josh Hotz Rave Ratings:

Booze: 9/10

(Additional Comments; _The Lyons penthouse has an excellent stash of Grey Goose. Bribe Todd to steal some after Finals Week_)

Music: 8.5/10

(Additional Comments; _Claire may have damn good taste in music, but whose idiotic idea was it to play Let Go? What were they? Middle schoolers at some crappy social? So what if it was actually a decent song? It still reminded him too much of- well, never mind that_)

Drugs: 9.5/10

(Additional Comments; _Stay away from Harris Fisher on LSD- he's freaking scary and will try to seduce you even if you are a man and insist that the both of you are straight_)

Girls: -3/10

(Additional Comments;_ The Usual Suspects may have the hottest girls he has ever had the pleasure to meet_ -_cough_**screw**_cough_- _but the one girl he wanted was pining after an "artistic, dual-colored-eyed, tortured soul"- translate: homo queer-core freak._)

--

He leaned casually against the wall of the Lyons' spacious Great Room as clusters of beautiful teens draped themselves across the furniture and floor, dancing, drinking, smoking pot, hooking up with people they would regret fucking tomorrow- all in all, the usual. Near the bar, Layne Abeley and Saylene Homer were doing tequila shots off a shirtless, grinning Griffin Hastings, while Kristen Gregory shot him the evil eye from the ivory-colored leather loveseat she was sharing with an inebriated Allie-Rose Singer, who, despite the early hours of the party, looked ready to pass out. Cam Fisher and Olivia Ryan were lurking around the corner of the room on the reading nook hidden behind the thick, velvet curtains, and it was clear at the fervent gasps and Olivia's breathy giggles what exactly was going on. Derrick was laughing while kinda-sorta flirting with Nina Callas near the bar while his girlfriend was preoccupied, but Josh could tell that he was still glancing jealously at the way Claire was dancing with Kemp- his arms wrapped loosely around her waist and his lips dangerously close to her neck.

"Hey Josh..." a voice purred, and he felt soft hands making their way up his chest. He glanced down to see Massie Block with a practically wolfish grin on her flawless face, leaning in toward him with a seductive glint in her unique, albeit freaky, amber eyes. "How was your summer?"

"_Caliente_," he said in a low voice, lips curving into a smirk. "Like always." He winked and she practically squealed, digging her nails into his muscular forearm. Even if he was going after Nikki, it didn't mean he couldn't have a little fun. He leaned in and grazed his lips against her ear lobe. "You know, I can show you exactly how hot it was..." His hand trailed down to the small of her back and he fingered the zipper on her scarlet silk slip-like dress that barely brushed her thighs. Just as he was about to kiss her, a familiar sarcastic voice snapped,

"Leave me alone, Abeley."

He instinctively jerked away from Massie and his head whipped into the direction of one of the large leather couches, where Nikki Dalton was sitting primly, long, willowy legs tucked neatly beneath her as she took a sip of her Coke- possibly the only non-spiked substance in the place. A slightly tipsy (okay, piss-drunk) Chris Abeley had tumbled onto the cushion beside her and had wrapped a muscular arm around her slender hips, leaning toward her with a leering smirk on his face.

"Come on, Dalton. Don't mess with me. I mean, don't mess _around_," He let out a bark-like laugh and she stiffened, her rose-petal lips curving into a disapproving frown. "H-hey, don't be like that," he stuttered, running a finger down the side of her pale cheek. "I just wanna help you. You're still a virgin aren't you? Solomon here's great with virgins. Aren't you, Demps?" He shouted over the pounding music and Dempsey Solomon, the Tarzan-cum-Hollister-model who was chatting up Alicia Rivera turned and winked.

"Oh yeah, Nik. I'm an expert," He nodded and threw her another wink as Alicia drunkenly wrapped her arms around his neck and began dragging him into the direction of one of the coat closets. "Give me a call!" he shouted as the door slammed behind him. Nikki shuddered delicately as Chris leaned in closer, his hand on her thigh.

"Well, he might be busy right now, but I'm free babe, and I got all the time in the world for you..."

Josh let out an involuntary growl and broke free from a confused and irritated Massie Block's iron grip. He stormed toward the couch where they were sitting and clenched his jaw threateningly as Chris kept running his hands over her bare legs and she fidgeted and whimpered for him to please, please stop.

"Actually, Abeley," Josh snarled, stopping in front of them, voice dripping with venom. "She's with me."

Both of them stared at Josh, Nikki's eyes widening with confusion and relief while Chris simply looking dazed.

"W-what are you talking about, man?" he slurred, glancing between the two of them. "You? Josh Hotz? With Nikki Dalton. Ha, yeah right!" He burst out into drunken laughter and shook his head. "You guys aren't together."

"Yes, we are," Nikki said calmly, silently thanking Josh with her eyes. Chris let out another snort.

"_Sure_ you are. Prove it."

There was a slight pause while Josh and Nikki stared at each other and didn't move. Chris nodded knowingly and wrapped his arm around Nikki's waist.

"I thought so. Now, Hotz, if you'll excuse me-"

Nikki jumped up from the couch, eyes blazing with a fiery intensity he had never seen before, threw her arms around his neck and pulled him into the most exhilarating kiss he had ever experienced, their lips moving in sync with the pounding beat of Kanye West's "Love Lockdown" that was blasting from the built-in speakers in the walls. Shell-shocked but extremely pleased, he grinned against her lips and gently pressed her against the wall as the kiss deepened. After a few moments later they both had to come up for air, and stared blankly at each other, Nikki's eyes wide from what she had done and Josh grinning uncontrollably. They both glanced at where Chris was sitting, his glazed-over cobalt eyes huge with surprise.

"Oh. Well then…" He mumbled something unintelligible about getting another drink and stumbled away. Nikki watched him leave with a satisfied smile, and then turned to Josh, glancing at him from under her dark lashes, suddenly shy again.

"Thanks…"

"No problem," He fought the stupid grin that was growing on his face, trying to refrain from looking completely and totally whipped. Even if he was. She gave him a crooked half-smile and he turned to walk away.

"Wait!"

He turned around, stunned. Was _she _asking _him _to wait? This night just kept getting weirder and weirder. In a ridiculously awesome way, no doubt.

"Do you, um… want to dance, maybe?"

He couldn't nod fast enough.

**_the big man on campus_**

Her hips swung from side to side rhythmically, almost spellbinding, as she ran a hand through her silky curtain of crimped gold hair, her arms and legs moving tantalizingly slow to the hypnotic tune of Muse's "Supermassive Black Hole" Her eyes were closed and her tanned skin seemed to glow from within like there was a fire running through her veins. She was an enigma- a torturous mix of ethereal beauty and unattainable lust wrapped into the form of a seventeen-year-old-stunner. And he wasn't the only one that noticed it. Every guy in the room, girlfriend or no girlfriend, was eying her with evident awe, but no one dared approach her as she moved with the toxic experience of an alluring seductress.

_Glaciers melted in the dead of the night and the superstar set my soul alight…_

"She's a looker, isn't she Harrington?" a voice said behind him, and he turned slightly to see Harris Fisher, Cam Fisher's older and (according to Kristen) hotter brother. His wavy jet-black hair was tousled and there were a few lipstick marks on his neck- it was clear what he had been doing- but he was staring at Claire Lyons as well, eyes roving across her lithe frame and licking his lips with a lecherous grin.

"Yeah," Derrick nodded numbly, running a hand through his dirty blonde waves and didn't tear his gaze away from her.

_I thought I was a fool for no one, but ooh baby, I'm a fool for you…_

"Hey, Fishy," Dempsey Solomon joined their conversation, his hunter-green eyes staring brazenly at the enthralling blonde like the other two, testosterone washing across his face. "Didn't she dump you for that Prince of Whales guy? Lance or whatever?"

"Landon," Derrick corrected, and Harris flushed a delicate shade of red.

"Whatever dude. I've done better." He scoffed bitterly, grabbing the drink from Dempsey's hand and drowning it in one shot. Dempsey flipped him off then rolled his eyes.

"Sure you have. That's as likely as Olivia Ryan being a virgin."

"Okay fine, she's the best I ever had. We dated for two weeks. And yes, she dumped me for a European prince. Fuck you, man." Harris said angrily and promptly walked away, yanking a tipsy Saylene Homer from her barstool and onto the dance floor.

_You're the queen of the superficial…_

"Harrington, a word of advice," Dempsey said, leaning casually against the couch. "If you date Claire Lyons for more than a month- that's the record, by the way, held by that Hollywood actor, whatshisface… uh, Conner Foley, I think- then you'll become a legend. But dude, she's a heart breaker. Be careful." With that, he grinned at Nina Callas and winked, even though Derrick had seen him come out of the coat closet with her cousin Alicia less than twenty minutes before, and left him standing alone by the couch. Derrick rolled his eyes, then looked back to where Claire had been dancing. She was gone. He sighed, and flopped onto the couch, holding his head in his hands with a groan. He had a girlfriend. Even if he did dump Kristen, there was no way Claire would ever date him. She dated a guy for a day, a week, or even (if they were extremely lucky, although it was as likely as winning the lottery) a couple of weeks, then dumped them without warning and moved onto someone else without even a bit of remorse. He tried to hate her for it, but he couldn't. Suddenly, he felt the LG Shine in his pocket vibrate. He rolled his eyes again. It was probably Kristen.

_NEW TEXT MESSAGE_

**from**: claire lyons

**to**: derrick harrington

**message**: meet me outside of todd's room.

Butterflies erupted in the pit of his stomach. She wanted to meet him. Not even hesitating to think why, he pushed his way through the throng of teens gyrating and moving like they were dancers in a rap music video, he practically ran past the enormous kitchen and dining room toward Todd's room. Just as he turned the corner, he stopped, thunderstruck.

She wasn't alone.

She was pressed against the wall, attached by the lips to a shirtless Kemp Hurley, his hands on either side of her while her fingers hooked onto the belt loops of his dark wash jeans that hung low on his hips. They were pressed together so tightly, as though trying to destroy any of the non-existent space between them. His hands left the wall and began to move across her long limbs, and he trailed heated kisses down her swan-like neck to the collarbone while she gasped his name, eyes closed and ran her thin fingers through his dark curls.

He couldn't stand it. He knew that she hooked up with Harris, Griffin, Josh, Hollywood actors and European royalty alike, but he never could imagine that it hurt this much to actually see it. Suddenly her eyes flew open and she stared at him for a split second before gasping and abruptly breaking away from Kemp, who looked at him with a bored expression.

"Derrick! Wait!"

He waited impatiently as she quickly whispered something in Kemp's ear with a seductive smile. He nodded in response and left the hallway into Todd's bedroom. Derrick felt a wave of hurt, jealousy, and anger wash over him as Claire bit her pomegranate-colored bottom lip and quickly smoothed her hair before smirking.

"Enjoying the party?" she asked casually, placing a warm hand on his now-icy one. He shuddered slightly at her touch and wanted nothing more than to slam his mouth against her shimmering mauve lips that had curved into that bangin' half-smile and unzip that indecently short dress and shove her toward a bed… "Anyway, can you do me a little favor?" she continued innocently, as if she didn't know that his entire body felt like it was burning with a intense fire just from being this close to her. "Look, there's this girl my brother likes and he's bringing her to the party tonight, but," She paused to lick her lips and it was such an erotic movement, he could hardly breath. "You know how Kristen can be about Todd and girls. Sometimes I think she has, like, a weird incestual obsession with him, but then again, she's dating you, so…" She tilted her head back and let out a tinkling laugh and he stared at her, unable to move. "Anyway, I was thinking, could you distract her enough tonight to let them have a good time without having to hide or worry about her? Please? For me?"

She widened her striking cerulean eyes, which looked so pleading and desperate, he sighed. He had to say no. What else could he do? She was allowed to just screw around with his heart like it was some kind of toy and then ask him for favors? Hell to the no. He wasn't like Cam Fisher who treated Olivia Ryan like some kind of china doll, willing to obey every beck and call.

"So, will you Derrick? It would mean a lot to me." She leaned in toward him and absently ran a hand through his hair, lips inches away from his own, while the other hand stroked his bicep gently.

"Of course," he sighed. "Anything to make you happy."

"Thanks, D!" she squealed and swiftly kissed his cheek. "You're such a great friend!"

"Yeah…"

_Such a great friend. _

He walked away numbly while Claire hurried to Todd's room, where Kemp was probably waiting for her to continue what Derrick had so rudely interrupted. As though in a slight daze, he wandered back to the living room where the party was still in full swing. He collapsed onto the couch and sat there for a few moments before Josh sat down next to him, with an idiotic grin plastered on his face. His smile faltered at the sight of his best friend.

"Yo, D. What the hell happened? You look like…" he trailed off and furrowed his dark brow, concerned.

"What was it like to do it with Claire?" Derrick demanded, glaring at him. Josh looked slightly shocked and uncomfortable.

"I dunno…Well, I mean, good, I guess. We were both kinda drunk, and it was ages ago… Dude, we already talked about this and I apologized. What's up?"

"Nothing," Derrick sighed and grimaced. "Just, you know, she texted me telling me to meet her outside Todd's room. And I went and… well, got the pleasure of watching her hooking up with Kemp Hurley."

"Ouch. Sucks, man," Josh said sympathetically. "But you know… they are, well, a match made in hell. I mean, everyone knew it would happen sooner or later- and I think I'll shut up now." He added hastily at Derrick's death glare. They sat there in silence as Kanye West's "Heartless", which was blasting from the speakers, ended.

_Somewhere far along this road, he lost his soul to a woman so heartless… _

**_the new girl_**

_OhmygodOhmygodOhmygodOhmygodOhmygodOhmygod… _was the only thing running through her head as his lips moved against hers in such a tantalizingly experienced way, she felt like all the air in her lungs disappeared and she had to, unfortunately, pull away to regain her breath. He grinned down at her, dropping his hands from her waist and fixing the blue and white polar bear tie that wound around his neck. His lustrous reddish-blonde hair, tousled from her hands running through it, shone under the dim lights of the still-stuck elevator. He was slightly sweaty but he still looked completely delicious and she wanted nothing more than to shove him against the paisley-patterned walls of elevator and continue what they had been doing ever since the elevator stopped moving. But she stopped herself. She had just met this guy. Well, twelve hours ago, but same difference. And she _still _didn't know his name. He leaned in again to capture her lips in another kiss but she placed a soft hand on his chest to stop him. He raised an eyebrow and looked confused.

"What is it, Marvil? Had enough?" He placed his hand on over his heart and looked wounded. "How can you do something like this to me?"

"We can continue, I promise," she smiled playfully and busied herself in fixing the collar of his wrinkled white button-up shirt. "I was just wondering… if maybe-" She paused and casually ran her manicured hand through his hair while he smiled. "You could tell me your name?"

Worry flashed across his face for a moment and then he grinned.

"No way, Dyl. I'm keeping that to myself," He leaned back against the wall and folded his arms across his chest. She frowned and turned away. Why couldn't he just tell her? It was cute for, like, the first couple minutes, but now it was just irritating. She couldn't keep making out with a guy who she didn't even know. What if he was a juvenile delinquent? Or part of the Italian mafia? Or one of those creepy stalkers from America's Most Wanted?

"You steal babies!" She shrieked suddenly. "You steal them and put them in a warehouse in Dubai guarded by polar bears and oh my god! I kissed you! Forgive me, Buddha, I have sinned!"

He stared at her, completely stunned while she fruitlessly tried to cleanse herself with the small bottle of Marc Jacob's _Daisy _in her teal and gold crocodile skin Dior clutch. The elevator lurched suddenly, then slowly began moving up. Sexy-baby-stealer-red-head, as she had christened him, began bursting out into wild laughter and slumped against the wall, clutching his toned stomach as he sunk to the floor.

"Y-you think I…" He doubled over, practically shaking from laughter. "Dylan, I swear- Oh _god. _You are insane."

She smiled sheepishly, realizing the absurdity of the situation. After managing to contain his laughter, he grinned up at her from the floor.

"You're really… different." He said finally, shaking his head.

"Um, thanks?"

"That's a good thing," he reassured her as the elevator _dinged_ and she helped him off the floor. The gold-plated doors opened and Dylan was greeted by the sight of stunning teens partying hard enough to rival even the wildest Hollywood A-list parties she had been to. Before she could marvel at her luck to be invited to such a party even before classes began and she had to prove herself, the most breathtakingly beautiful girl she had ever seen- even more gorgeous than her model-worthy, though admittedly bitchy, roommate- ran toward them and stopped, running a hand down the side of her slightly crumpled risqué Marc Jacobs flapper dress that Dylan knew was limited edition. She tilted her head one side, her blunt gold side bangs falling into her startling azure eyes.

"You must be Dylan…" she mused, her lips curving into a smirk. "You're right, little brother. She is hot."

Dylan glanced up at her date, whose tanned skin flushed crimson.

"Claire, shut up…" he mumbled, looking down at the floor, embarrassed.

"Oh, how rude of me. I'm Claire. You seem cool, so I'm not quite sure why you're hooking up with my retard of a brother, but whatever floats your boat I guess. It's not too late to ditch him and find someone else, though. Chris Abeley's single- I can give you his number." She ducked as her brother grabbed one of the gold satin pillows from the couch and chucked it at her head. Dylan giggled as Claire stuck her tongue out playfully. "Anyway, I took care of Kristen, so you guys should be fine for the night. No need to thank me, I already took my prize."

"You defiled my bed?" Her brother look disgusted. "Why couldn't you use your own fucking room?"

"Because I knew it would bother you, bro," Claire batted her golden lashes innocently. "Have fun, kiddies. I'm going to the hot tub with Kemp, Nikki and Josh. Feel free to join us. We're skinny-dipping." She winked before disappearing into the throng of teenagers, her shimmering blonde hair swinging behind her.

"Wait, why did Claire have to quote unquote 'take care of Kristen'? Does she mean Kristen Gregory? Like, my roommate?" Dylan questioned, confused. He looked down at her guiltily, rubbing the back of his neck. "Oh my god…" Her face dawned with shocked realization. "You're…"

"Todd Lyons." He finished, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his shorts. "I guess Kristen warned you about me already, huh?"

And suddenly, Dylan didn't feel so lucky anymore.

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**want to b!tch, flame or complain to me? or maybe even say something nice? do so in a review :D**


	5. so you've got some brand new clothes

**thanks for all the awesome reviews, guys :)**

**this chapter's kinda short-ish... but hopefully you'll review anyway?  
**

* * *

_**the queen bee **_

The first day of classes was not going the way Kristen Gregory planned.

As in, it was sucking. And she hadn't even left her dorm yet.

First of all, her iHome- which she had set to play Gwen Stefani's "Rich Girl" to wake up- hadn't gone off and she woke up a half an hour later- when her irritating roommate had tentatively told her that she was going down to breakfast. She shot out of bed and checked the time- 7:00 A.M. She had only one hour to get completely ready and eat breakfast- but she'd have to grab a yogurt or something equally light. _And _she had made plans with Derrick to eat with him at 7:20. She'd have to rush.

She barely even glanced at Dylan, who was perched daintily on her silk duvet, auburn curls tamed into a loose ponytail at the nape of her neck and a yellow silk headband set atop it all. She was dressed crisply in a gray pinstripe Versace pencil skirt, a fitted Oxford, a skinny yellow JCrew belt that matched her headband and a pair of strappy Missoni pumps. She looked both sophisticated and beautiful, something that made Kristen to want to yank her hair out. _She _was supposed to be the one sitting coolly on her bed watching her frazzled roommate run around in ratty pajamas (well, silk Victoria Secret nightie, but same difference).

Slamming the bathroom door behind her, Kristen quickly stripped and hopped into the shower and came back out in record time, steam filling the room and clouding the mirrors. She straightened her still-damp hair, quickly swiped on some lengthening mascara, wine-colored Chanel lipstick, and slipped on a Crest Whitening strip. Then she shimmied into an off-white silk Catherine Malandrino cap-sleeved minidress, black, opaque tights, and a pair of gray suede Michael Kors ankle boots. She wrapped a delicate turquoise and silver Hermes paisley scarf around her neck and gazed critically at herself in the mirror. She looked like a European model that had wandered off the runway and spent her free time sitting in Starbucks, sipping Caramel Macchiatos and reading Shakespeare. Perfect.

Opening the bathroom door, she expected to see an empty room, but instead found Dylan and Claire sitting on the metallic beanbags scattered across the room, laughing over something. At the sight of Claire, all self-confidence fled from her and she felt herself staring enviously.

"Hey Kris," Claire nodded with a small smirk. She stood and stretched languidly, her silky blonde waves falling perfectly to mid-back. She ran a hand down the side of her gunmetal silk Dior off-the-shoulder dress that barely hit mid-thigh, which, paired with apple-red tights and slouchy, crocheted gray UGG booties, looked both edgy and classic. A cable-knit beret, the exact shade of her tights, sat atop her golden hair and a stack of vintage diamond cuff bangles engulfed her slim wrists. It was days like these where Kristen hated her half-sister even more. Claire could just walk around in a dirty wife beater and tube socks and still be asked to pose on the cover of the latest Vogue (something which actually happened during Spring break). But on the days where she actually cared about her appearance, she looked so breathtakingly flawless, it was a wonder that she wasn't surrounded by a golden mist or something equally celestial. And you know, make everyone around her look disturbingly ugly in comparison.

"Claire," She greeted with a tight-lipped smile. "So, you know my roommate, then?"

"Well, duh. She came to my party," Claire rolled her eyes. "Remember?"

How the hell was she supposed to remember anything from that night? After a couple of hours, Derrick had gotten her drunk to the point where the room was spinning, her head felt like it was being hammered with a gravel and she may or may not have tried to kiss an equally inebriated Alicia Rivera… The last thing she could remember was climbing into bed with Harris Fisher- she winced at the memory- and then proceeding to puke her guts out.

"How did she get invited?" Kristen asked scathingly, dropping her Chanel compact into her metallic silver Gucci tote alongside her terry-covered Juicy notebooks and gold-plated 'K'-engraved fountain pens. Claire and Dylan glanced at each other with a hint of worry but Claire answered.

"Massie invited her- you know how that girl is completely addicted to gossip. She wanted some dirt on the newbie and what better way than to invite her and loosen her tongue with some Grey Goose?"

Kristen could tell she was lying but she was too impatient to get to breakfast to waste her time interrogating them.

"Yeah, whatever," she said airily, flipping her sun-dappled hair over her slim shoulders as she whisked out the door. "But I know for a fact that it wasn't Massie because she had asked _me_ who invited the fresh meat. Next time, think of a better excuse, mkay?"

_**the drama parasite **_

Massie Block wasn't happy. And when she wasn't happy, someone would have to pay.

And in this case, it was Nicolette Marie Dalton.

Massie could never understand how Nikki shot to the tip of popularity so fast. Sure, she was _pretty, _but pretty girls at Windsor were a dime a dozen. She wasn't interesting- she hated partying, didn't drink, didn't do drugs, was still a freaking virgin, and never wore clothes that showed a bit of skin. _Buh-or-ing_. Then how, in the name of Kate Spade, had she managed to snag the exclusive friendship of Kemp Hurley and Claire Lyons? The majority of the school population would willingly give up their right leg to be tight with the infamously wild duo.

Kemp was devilishly handsome- a toxic combination of Chris Pine's rugged looks and Ed Westwick's mysterious charm- after all, he _was_ the spawn of Marcus Hurley (infamous Hollywood hottie director and owner of a Playboy mansion to boot). He was known to be impossible to impress and had proved it by openly dissing Taylor Momsen at the MTV Awards and telling her that she looked like a drag queen with all that eyeliner during her attempt to flirt with him. He rarely spoke in class or even during parties and had that "I'm-too-cool-for-this" expression permanently etched on his perfectly sculpted face. And Claire? Well, did anything have to be said? The point was, if you got in with Kemp Hurley and Claire Lyons, you were set for life. Well, as far as high school went.

But Massie didn't resent her for that. Well, not much anyway. The real reason she hated Nikki was for having Josh Hotz in the palm of her hand. When Massie had first seen that incredibly hot Spanish exchange student who transferred sophomore year, she had been completely hooked. But again, Nikki frickin' Dalton had swooped in, stolen the spotlight from her and became the object of Josh's lust- because it was, like, impossible for him to actually _like _her. Wasn't it?

She fixed her amber-eyed glare on the willowy brunette from across the dining hall, her grip tightening on the vanilla and citrus flavored yogurt cup in her hand. Nikki was leaning against the salad bar, dropping pieces of cantaloupe and watermelon into her bowl. Her outfit, as usual, was a mind-numbingly simple combination of khaki capris, crisp white polo, and lemon-yellow cardigan- all from Lacoste. A pair of Ray Ban Wayfarers was set in her serum-infused brunette waves and her pedicured feet were clad in yellow Havianas. Her eyes narrowed as she spotted Josh- _her Josh- _sidle up to Nikki and yank a strand of her hair, grinning as she playfully whacked his shoulder. Ehmagawd, that girl was _so_ asking for a death wish.

"Massie, are you okay?" Olivia Ryan asked from across the table, raising a perfectly plucked brow as Cam Fisher slid into the seat beside her and placed a chaste kiss on her cheek. "You're, like, majorly zoning out. And you have your evil Massie face on. Like you're going to kill someone with major gossip." The blonde girl smirked and leaned in conspiratorially. "Who's the victim?"

"Oh, no one," she replied nonchalantly, spooning the yogurt into her glossed mouth.

"Oh..." She looked slightly disappointed. "Anyway, did you hear about Kemp and Claire? They're, like, _together_ now," Olivia whispered, a curtain of silky, white-blonde hair framing either side of her perpetually angelic face. "They totally hooked up in Todd's bedroom at her party."

Massie immediately glanced down the table where Derrick was stabbing viciously at his syrup-soaked Belgian waffles. She knew that Derrick had a thing for Claire- even though he was dating her half-sister Kristen, self-proclaimed queen bitch of Windsor. He had evidently heard the news as well, if his clenched fists and ready-to-kill expression on his gorgeous face were any hint. She rolled her eyes. Screwed up love octagons at Windsor- especially within the A-list- were common.

"Hey guys," Nikki chirped as she joined the table, sliding into the seat beside Cam. Massie raised a scheming eyebrow as she watched Nikki sending side-glances in Cam's direction, only half-listening to Josh, who was trying to regain her attention. How interesting…

_**the sweetheart **_

Cam Fisher entwined his fingers through his girlfriend's slender ones, breathing in the intoxicating scent of her strawberry shampoo and Marc Jacob's _Simply Angelic_ perfume he had bought for her when he went to New York. He was, undoubtedly, the luckiest guy in the world. He had good grades, a gorgeous, faithful girlfriend, and the coveted spot as center forward on the Varsity soccer team. Life was good.

"I love you," he murmured into Olivia's sheet of flaxen blonde curls.

She looked up at him, periwinkle eyes wide, and bit her pale, glossy lip with a hint of worry.

"Cam, I…" She sighed and finally smiled. "I love you too."

Olivia had been acting strangely for the past couple of weeks, always having that faraway look on her face and looking uncharacteristically vulnerable. He had, as the concerned boyfriend, inquired if she was alright, but she always shook her head and insisted that everything was fine. This, of course, meant that there was something very wrong. But Cam knew that she'd want her space so he had left her alone and hoped to cheer her up by surprising her with tickets to Rome and a luxury retreat at a countryside villa he had rented out for Thanksgiving break. After all, he knew that her mom and dad were going through a nasty divorce and the last thing that she'd want to do was go home and spend her vacation alone.

"Hey, Cam!" Nikki Dalton gave him a wide grin as she caught up to him in the hallway and he smiled kindly in return. Nikki was one of his best friends, but she was acting weirdly too. She'd always be cheerful when they were alone, but whenever Olivia showed up, she'd always make some excuse to leave, even though his girlfriend was perfectly nice.

"Hey Nik," he greeted. She fell into step with him and suddenly, her smile faltered when she saw Olivia. He furrowed his dark brows. What as with her?

"Oh… hey Olivia," she said through gritted teeth, her smile looking strained.

"Hi Nikki," Olivia smiled sweetly, tilting her head so that her perfect, white-blonde curls seemed to shimmer like a halo under the glow of the hallway lights. "How was your summer?" She leaned into Cam and he slung his arm over his shoulder. "Meet any guys you like?"

Nikki clenched her jaw and Cam swore he saw a knowing smirk flit across his girlfriend's face but it was gone faster than it appeared.

_**the new girl **_

"Hey, Dyl," a voice whispered into her Cartier-diamond studded ear and she whipped around to see a sheepish Todd Lyons gazing down at her in the middle of the crowded hallway.

"Todd," She nodded curtly, hitching her D&G yellow snakeskin tote onto her shoulder. "What do you want?" She continued to walk down the hall, Missoni pumps resounding on the tiled floor like gunshots. He hurried to catch up, slinging his navy North Face backpack onto one shoulder as he spoke.

"Look, Dylan, I know that Kristen might have-"

"Todd, not now," she interrupted, jade eyes still refusing to glance in his direction. "I need to find my French class and this really isn't a good time."

He sighed resignedly.

"We have French together, remember? When we compared schedules yesterday?"

"Oh. Right. I knew that…" Suddenly, she stopped and yanked him into the nearest empty classroom. Flicking the lights on, she glared at him with blazing eyes and slammed the door behind her. He looked down at her expectantly, his tall, lean frame leaning casually against the wall. "Todd, we can't do this."

"Why?" he questioned, face impassive. "Why not?"

"You know why, dammit!" She almost screeched, her face turning red. "Claire told me that the last girl who flirted with you dropped out mysteriously. _Dropped out_. Look, I've transferred to six high schools in the past three years, and I intend to spend at least one whole year here. And getting on your half-sister's bad side and leaving the school is not part of my plan, okay? We can't get her piss-drunk every time we want to hang out. I mean, I like you, but-"

"But what? You'd rather kiss up to my half-sister instead of hanging out with a guy you like? Just for popularity points? I thought you were different, Dylan," He practically spat and she stared at him. There was a long pause. "Look," he said, running a hand through his auburn curls. "I'm sorry. It's just… you're different from the other girls I've met. And I really really _really _like you. And Kristen… she just ruins everything. But maybe… maybe we can try to make this work?"

"How?" Dylan asked softly. "How can this ever work?"

"Well, no one ever said she needs to find out."

What had she gotten herself into?

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**gah... sorry- this was one of my worst chapters D: and was more filler-y. the more interesting stuff will happen soon. review, please? **


	6. ohbrotherspareusallwedon'tcareanymore

OMJacob, THE NEW **COBRA STARSHIP** ALBUM WAS RELEASED. There is no doubt about it. _Hot Mess _is just... well, hot ;)

Listen to it. Pure awesometasticness, yo.

Um, yeah. That's it.

* * *

_**the tall, dark and handsome **_

"Hurley! Wait up!"

He paused and turned his head a fraction of an inch behind him to see Derrick Harrington jogging toward him through the crowded hallway, blonde hair shining unnaturally under the glow of the fluorescent lights.

"Harrington," he mumbled in greeting, shaking his chestnut curls so they weren't in front of his eyes. "'Sup?"

"Nothin' much," Derrick replied slowly, fingering the straps of his navy and gray Northface. "So, uh, some party, huh?"

Kemp looked at him carefully. He didn't have to be a certified, Harvard PH.D Psychiatrist (even though that was his eventual goal) to know exactly what Derrick meant. His eyes were lackluster and his entire face was completely pale- almost like he was sick. The way his voice sounded forcefully casual meant he was both pissed and curious. He also knew what kind of what kind of answer Derrick wanted. But for all that internal psychological examination, he just replied,

"Yeah,"

Derrick's face fell (expected) and he opened his mouth to speak again.

"Are... you and Claire, like, uh, together now?"

Kemp looked away to hide the barely concealed smirk that was growing across his face. He knew it. Harrington _so_ had it bad for Claire. It was completely obvious, so he was mildly surprised that Kristen hadn't found out about it and taken evasive action. But if Harrington thought that he was just going to step aside and let him sweep Claire off her feet, he was in for a bit of a surprise.

"I dunno," he shrugged, carefully masking any emotion on his face. "I mean, we hooked up," He made sure to make the comment sound throw-away, like it was completely normal for them to hook up (well, it sort of was). "You think I should ask her out?"

Shock and anger flashed across Derrick's face and Kemp raised a questioning brow.

"Uh... I don't know," Derrick responded finally, the words sounding forced. "I mean, like, if you're serious about it... but you don't actually, you know, _like her _that way, do you?"

"Who says I don't?" He winked and watched with sadistic pleasure as Derrick's fists clenched so tightly, they almost looked mottled purple.

"Oh. Well, uh, then I guess go for it, then," Derrick mumbled, frowning. He muttered something about being late for class and walked in the opposite direction, even though they both had AP Psych together- Kemp's best class. Just because he barely ever spoke didn't mean he couldn't understand people's feelings. He wasn't going to purposely torture Derrick- just _grill _him for a little while- until he and Claire decided to break it off and then step aside. He wasn't a total sadist. He'd let Derrick have Claire. Just after he had a little fun with her first.

_**the selfless saint**_

Nikki took a deep breath and stepped into her AP Psych class- one of her favorites. She had compared schedules with the rest of the Usual Suspects during breakfast and found that not only were Derrick, Kemp, and Claire in that class but so was Cam. _And Olivia_, she thought with a hint of spiteful pleasure, _is not. _

The moment she stepped into the classroom, she spotted Claire and Kemp in the back corner of the room- Claire was sitting on Kemp's lap while they whispered things into each others ears (Nikki didn't even _want _to know) while sneaking in kisses- _Could they lay off the tongue while they were in class at least?, _she thought exasperatedly. Derrick was sitting next to them, head in his hands, while his iPod headphones blared Fall Out Boy's "The Carpal Tunnel of Love" loud enough for Nikki to hear even across the room.

_Whoa, we're so miserable and stunning  
Whoa, far from the genuinely cunning  
_

Claire spotted Nikki walk in and opened her glossed mouth with a hint of mischief sparkling in her startling azure eyes and she nudged Kemp.

"She's a sexy supah star!" Claire practically shouted across the room, grinning as the familiar warm flush crept up Nikki's face when everyone turned to stare at her. "Bow chicka wow wow!"

Nikki glared as her classmates began snickering at her. Of course, no one cared that it was Claire who was acting like an idiot, they all focused on Nikki- which was rare. As she walked past the aisles of seats to get to the back of the room, she overheard two girls from her dorm- _Sydney and Maddie_, she remembered- in a heated conversation.

"She is so lucky," Sydney sighed, twisting her blonde hair around her finger absently.

"Who?"

"Claire, obvi!"

Maddie rolled her eyes and cracked the watermelon-flavored Bubblicious in her mouth loudly.

"Just because she's with Kemp-"

"But no one dates Kemp!" Sydney said wistfully. "He's just too... amazing," she sighed and cast a loving gaze in his direction.

"Um, Syd, this is Kemp Hurley we're talking about, not Rupert Grint, okay? You need to chill," She looked thoughtful. "Although, the chances you have of getting with Rupert Grint is much higher than with Kemp."

Sydney stuck her tongue out and flipped the sheet of blonde hair over her shoulder.

"Whatever. At least _I'm _not the one lusting after Todd Lyons. Even if you don't have Claire to worry about, Kristen would maim you before you could even get within 15 feet of him."

Maddie's cheeks colored and she folded her arms across her chest defensively.

"I bet Kristen has, like, some demented incestual lusty-love for him. That would be gross!" She grinned maliciously and whipped out her iPhone. "In fact, I think I'll send that little speculation to Massie Block. See how Kristen likes _that._"

"You are so bad!"

The two girls giggled and started texting Massie while Nikki hid a smile. Kristen would be in for some major damage control if word of this fabled incest obsession got word to everyone in the school. Which, knowing Massie Block, would take approximately ten seconds. The smile faded when she slid into the seat beside Claire, who had returned to playing tonsil hockey with Kemp. While it sucked to have best friends who were going out- it sucked even more when those two were Claire Lyons and Kemp Hurley- neither of whom even cared about PDA and proceeded to suck each other's face off.

"Those two wouldn't stop making out even if the apocalypse happened right this second," An amused voice said and she looked up to see Cam sliding into the seat beside her with a grin. Nikki smiled in spite of herself.

"I know, right?" She giggled and ran her fingers through her sheet of silky brunette hair. Cam opened his mouth to reply but at that moment, their AP Psychology teacher- who, besides being a Yale PH.D, was a rather good-looking as well- Dr. Steve McCarthy (Claire had rechristened him as Dr. Stud McLovestick), walked into the room.

"Hello class," he boomed in his deep baritone. A few girls in the front row swooned. "Phones and iPods away. Ms. Lyons, if you are quite done with your intimate moment, kindly remove yourself from Mr. Hurley's lap and take a seat, please," He narrowed his hazel eyes and the rest of the class laughed as Claire disentangled herself from Kemp's grip and sat in her own seat without even blushing. "Now, welcome to Advanced Placement Psychology..." He began droning on about class expectations, structure and the material they'd be studying. Cam tossed a crumpled piece of lined paper onto Nikki's desk and pretended to start taking notes. Nikki smiled to herself before opening it. It had been her and Cam's _thing_ to go old school and pass notes instead of texting under the seats.

_Five seconds in and I already know this class is going to be a total snoozer. _

Next to it was a badly drawn caricature of himself snoring and drooling onto a desk. Nikki muffled a laugh and quickly scribbled back.

_Agreed. Oh my god- I think that girl in the front is having an orgasm just looking at Stud McLovestick. _

She tossed the note back onto Cam's desk and went back to taking notes. Within seconds, the note flew back onto her desk.

_Stud McLovestick? Dude, only Claire could think of something that perverted. And- HOLY SHIT, that girl is so undressing him with her eyes. That. Is. Sick. _

Nikki grinned before replying. This went on for the rest of class, as Dr. McCarthy started to explain the functions of the different parts of the brain. Finally, a few minutes till class ended, Cam tossed the almost completely filled note onto Nikki's desk again.

_Two minutes till sweet freedom! No more stupid McLovestick or Derrick being all emo teen in his little corner. Hey, did I tell you what I'm doing with Olivia on Thanksgiving break? _

She instantly froze. The conversation had been going so well... why did he have to mention Olivia? How was Cam so obtuse? How could he not see that she was cheating on him with practically the entire grade? Cam was too great of a guy to be with such a skanky airhead. He deserved to know the truth. After much deliberation she slowly wrote,

_Olivia's cheating on you. _

She hesitantly placed it on Cam's desk and, biting her lip, watched through the corner of her eye as he read the note, dark brows furrowing. The smile on his face disappeared and he quickly scribbled something back. He dropped the note back on her desk.

_I don't believe you. _

"Cam-" she began, turning to him with pleading eyes. The bell rang at that moment but Cam stuffed all his books into his backpack and strode out without another word.

_**the unattainable**_

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed today," a teasing voice said and Todd lifted his head from the desk to see Kristen Gregory grinning down at him. He merely grunted in response and pointedly looked away. Without even knowing it, his half-sister was ruining his life. And for that, she would suffer the silent treatment until further notice. Kristen merely arched a golden brow and settled down into the seat beside him. "What's wrong, Todd?" she asked, concerned. She placed her hand on his forearm with a sympathetic and inquisitive look.

Todd groaned. It would be much easier to hate for just being an overprotective psycho. But the problem was that she actually _cared _about him. And that changed everything.

"Nothing," he said finally. "Just... PMSing," He grinned as she wrinkled her freckled nose delicately.

"I knew you were a transy!" She exclaimed in a mock-serious tone. "Wait. Does that mean, you can, like, be my personal lyre-player slash singer slave? Transies are totally great singers. You could probably hit higher notes than Nick Jonas."

Todd burst out laughing and smiled appreciatively at his half-sister. Kristen was awesome. That is, when she wasn't being a total frigid bitch who wouldn't let him date girls. The smile slid off his face when he thought about Dylan's terrified expression when she figured out that Kristen was his sister. There went his nanosecond good mood. Todd sighed as he thought back to sophomore year- before the whole anti-girl probation Kristen had established.

He had been in an awesome relationship with that hot Legacy, Skye Hamilton- head cheerleader and dance team captain to boot. They had been dating for roughly six months when Todd decided to say the "L-word" on Valentine's Day. Skye had not only _not said_ the word back, she had laughed in his face, dumped him on the spot and proceeded to hook up with Dempsey Solomon a mere two hours later. So, okay, he had over-reacted a _little _bit by announcing to everyone during lunch that he was so depressed that he no longer wanted to live and was going to throw himself off the top of the Science Building. And actually got on the roof before realizing what a psychotic idiot he was being and started to climb down. He lost his footing and nearly died as the crowd of students screamed below him. Finally he was able to maneuver himself into one of the windows, where he was met with the sight of a fuming Headmistress who promptly gave him detention for the rest of the month. He should have gotten suspended or even expelled, but one phone call from Jay Lyons, Britain's hottest and most acclaimed actor- aka Dad, and his punishment for attempted-suicide was eased. Ever since that "traumatic moment of idiocy" (as put by Kristen), his half-sister had made it clear to the rest of the school that anyone who attempted to date him would face the consequences. As motherly as this was, Todd wished that she had reacted more like his other sister. Claire had just slapped him and told him that he was a pathetic douche and if he ever did something that psychotic again, she'd castrate him. Then, in an attempt to make him feel better, slipped puke-green hair dye into Skye's hair gel, forcing her to wear her hair tucked up in a hat for a good six weeks.

But before the whole incident, Kristen was probably one of the coolest half-sisters he could have asked for. They spent countless hours watching Jackie Chan movies and getting drunk on Jay's tequila stash together during breaks, always scared Claire's flavor-of-the-minutes by slipping STD and AIDS information pamphlets into her room, went to Relient K and Cobra Starship concerts together, and even practiced soccer together (before Kristen had decided that soccer made her too sweaty and she gave it up in favor of Pilates).

"Hello... earth to Todd. Todd, do you read me?" Kristen's voice cut through his flashback and he blinked a few times before turning to his bemused-looking half-sister.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," He gave her a lopsided half-smile and nudged her foot gently with his. "I was just thinking about what to do Saturday night. Claire mentioned a bonfire she, Kemp, and Nikki were planning. It's going to be great. We're all sneaking out into the forest and Josh is getting the 'shrooms and LSD. Kemp's providing the liquor. You in?"

"Probably," She shrugged her delicate shoulders. "I don't know, though. Derrick and I have barely spent a few seconds together since school started. I might do something with him."

"Come on," Todd urged, in spite of the devil-side of him telling him to stop being a pussy by caring about his sister and think about Dylan. "It'll be fun. A huge bonfire, Kemp's booze, girls-"

"Girls?" Kristen snapped, her ice-queen mask instantly coming on. "I don't think you should go, Todd. You know, maybe you can tag along with me and Derrick. We'll go out for a movie or something. Okay?"

He knew it wasn't a request- it was an order. With a resigned sigh, he thought about how beautiful Dylan would look by the bonfire- auburn curls cascading around her glowing face while sparks from the flames danced by her jade eyes. And then he looked at Kristen, who was staring at him expectantly, cornflower-blue eyes narrowed.

"Okay," he mumbled in assent as their Physics teacher walked in and began class.

_**the new girl**_

"Hello, newbie..."

Dylan looked up to see an incredibly handsome Spanish boy glancing down at her. He was tall and lanky- _just like Todd, _she thought miserably- with a deep tan and perfectly tousled dark hair that fell into his startlingly dark chocolate eyes. He slid into the seat beside her while their Biology teacher fumbled with the projection machine. A few students, pitying him, went up to help.

"Josh Hotz," the boy introduced himself and stuck out a hand. His last name did no justice to his actual looks. Dylan took it hesitantly and smiled.

"Dylan Marvil," she replied, and he raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

"Marvil. As in-"

"Merri-Lee Marvil, host of the Daily Grind, yes," she said in a bored voice, yanking her hand away and rearranging her sea-green mechanical pencils. "She's my mother. And no, you can not have an autograph."

Josh let out a chuckle and took some books out of his backpack.

"You _are_ funny. Now I know why Claire likes you so much. Well, both twins really," He waggled his eyebrows suggestively and Dylan felt her blood run cold. Josh continued to pull out the rest of his notebooks like nothing was wrong and she felt ready to faint. Did he just say what she thought he said? How could he have known? What if _everyone_ knew?

"H-ha, ha," She forced a laugh. "I personally don't think Kristen likes me very much," she stuttered, to which Josh simply rolled his eyes.

"I meant _Todd,_" he said in a slow voice, like she she was mentally retarded. "I know about you two. No need to have an aneurysm, though," he added when Dylan visibly paled and looked a bit unsteady. "I won't tell Kristen. I just want, um, your help with something," he mumbled, looking down and Dylan watched him curiously. She had just met the guy. What could he possibly want?

"I'm listening," she said, nudging him slightly.

"See, there's this girl-"

"You want me to play matchmaker?" She said incredulously. "But I'm just the 'newbie'. What could I do about it?"

"Relax, Marvil," He rolled his eyes and leaned in conspiratorially, lowering his voice. "I just need you to talk to the girl and, you know, put in a good word. That's all. Trust me, I never ever do stuff like this normally, but this girl's well... a bit of a challenge, I guess you could say. And in return, I'll keep your little escapades with Todd on the D.L. from Kristen and everybody else. Deal?"

"Why not?" Dylan mumbled sarcastically. "I would love to get mixed up in your love triangle- forget me and my own effed up situation. By the way, who's the girl?"

"Um," Josh looked down and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Nikki Dalton."

"Isn't she the one obsessed with Cam Fisher?" Dylan asked, arching an auburn brow. Josh' face fell and he nodded stiffly.

Dylan's To-Do List:

1. Maintain a 4.0 GPA for the rest of the year

2. Get early acceptance into Dartmouth

3. Maintain a secret relationship with her bitchy, queen bee of a roommate's half-brother

4. Try not to get killed by said roommate

5. Help Josh get his dream girl who is pining after a dude with a girlfriend who's cheating on the dude (_WTF is with these love triangles?_)

6. Survive the rest of high school without wanting to commit suicide

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**it really means a lot to me when you guys review- especially those awesome ones where you discuss which characters/plot points you love/hate. it takes a long time to write these chapters, but reading reviews makes everything worthwhile :D **


	7. soshutyourmouthandgetdownonthefloor

Wow.

I honestly love you guys. The reviews you gave me for the last chapter were just fabulous. I practically squeal in delight every time I read them (the longer the better ;D). You are completely amazing. Here's an extra long chapter to thank you guys for it.

A second note- I revamped my profile and put some new character pictures on it. A few are the same, but Kristen, Claire, Massie, Kemp, Derrick, Cam, and Josh's have changed. I just like these new ones better ( especially Cam's ;) )

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_**the queen bee**_

"Ms. Gregory, would you mind staying back for a moment? I'd like to speak with you," the aged Physics teacher said quietly as the rest of the class filed out of the room at the sound of the bell. Kristen patiently waited as the room emptied- Todd gave her a sympathetic smile as he succumbed to the lure of lunch and bolted out the door- and after a few moments, she approached her teacher's desk with a polite smile.

"What is it you'd like to discuss, Mr. Monahan?" she inquired, clutching her books to her chest as her teacher gave her a gentle smile.

"Your mother called before school started asking me to arrange a Physics tutor for you," he began and she frowned. "I assured her that you were one of my best students in Honors Physics and I had no doubt you'd do equally well in Advanced Placement. However... she was not convinced and insisted that I find you a tutor- just until you take the SAT Subject Test for Physics, which takes place in a few weeks. I've arranged for you to meet with Christopher Plovert. He's an excellent Physics student and regularly tutors other students as well. Get in touch with him as soon as possible. That will be all."

"Thank you, Mr. Monahan," she said graciously, although she was seething inside. Her stupid, infuriating mother... if Kristen didn't want to get into Yale as much as her mother did, then she'd purposely fail, just to piss her off. But as it were... "I'm totally grateful for all your help," she continued, shooting him a winning smile. He visibly blushed and looked down and Kristen concealed a smirk. She was a total expert on charming teachers. Even if they were over sixty years old and married old stooges. Giving him a small nod, she whisked out the door and into the near-empty corridor. Suddenly, her pocket vibrated and she pulled out her iPhone.

**from: **private number

**to: **kristen gregory

**message: **ooh, is our queen bee hiding a dirty little secret? rumors are spreading about ms. perfect's infatuation with her hottie half-brother. is our sexy big man on campus just a distraction for her rather shocking incest issue? this may explain her quote unquote "over protectiveness" of our favorite redhead eye candy. better watch your back, k. this is straight out of "flowers in the attic"... and we all know how that tale ended ;)

Kristen fought the powerful urge to hurl the phone onto the tiled floor and destroy it under the heel of her Michael Kors ankle boot. Stupid ass Gossip Girl-wannabee. Massie Block was _so_ dead to her. Why the hell would she like Todd that way? Sure, she was a bit overprotective of her half-brother, but look at how his last relationship turned out! He was going to commit freaking suicide! Unlike Claire, who found the whole situation morbidly hilarious, she actually cared about Todd and his well-being. Just because she didn't want him to get hurt again made her a psychotic incest-freak who harbored a secret obsession for her half-brother? For fuck's sake. This school was so messed up.

"Hey, um, Kristen?" a voice said tentatively from behind her. She whipped around to see a short freshman looking up at her. Her brunette curls framed her round face and warm chocolate eyes were hidden behind a pair of trendy tortoise-shell glasses a la Johnny Depp. Kristen doubted that she even had an eye problem, but tortoise-shell glasses were the new fedoras, so she wouldn't be surprised.

"Who are you?" she asked in an icy tone, arching a golden brow with a bored expression. The girl stood up a little straighter and smirked.

"Maya. And is it true about you and Todd Lyons? Because that is totally gross. I cannot buh-lieve that you'd be the incest type," she simpered and Kristen fought the urge to slap her. Who did this pretentious freshman think she was? She narrowed her eyes at her, recognizing her to be one of Josh Hotz's rabid groupies who stalked him on a daily basis.

"Oh, please. You'd have to be an idiot to actually believe the crap that Massie Block feeds you. Why don't you go and make out with a pair of Josh's boxers you stole from his room? I'm sure you have nothing better to do," she spat bitterly and flipped her flaxen hair over her shoulders to smack the girl's stunned face as she turned on her heel. Her ankle boots resounded like gunshots against the floor as she made her way down the hallway, calmly masking the fury on her Vogue-worthy face.

"Kristen?" A different voice called from behind her and she whipped around, ready to kill the next person who snidely asked her about her 'incest problems'. It was a tall, gangly blonde boy was jogging down the hallway to catch up with her. Slightly out of breath, he paused uncertainly in front of her and she was able to inspect him better. He was cute, she decided, in a nerdy sort of way. _Kind of like a blonde-haired Jonathan Rhys Meyers_, she mused. He was a few inches taller than her, with sandy blonde hair that stood in every direction and shockingly bright sapphire eyes framed with dark lashes. Her breath unexpectedly caught in her throat when she saw his eyes, which, despite being hidden behind a pair of glasses, were to die for. She desperately wanted to reach out and take off those glasses so she could stare into those gorgeous eyes but quickly regrouped and folded her arms across her chest defensively.

"What do you want?" she demanded, slightly confused. The boy's nervous smile faltered and he stared at the ground, mumbling something under his breath. "A little louder, please?" she said exasperatedly. She'd never get enough time for lunch at this rate. The boy raised his head and bit his lip.

"Um, I'm Chris Plovert. But, uh, you can call me Plovert, if you want," he said lamely and she gave him a tentative smile. So this was Mr. Mystery Tutor. At least he didn't have a retainer or braces or bad breath or anything. Actually, he could be a Grade-A hottie if he ditched the glasses for contacts and started wearing clothes that didn't look like they had been picked out by his mother.

"I prefer Chris," she said sweetly and he blushed. "You must be my Physics tutor," His smile widened slightly and he nodded quickly.

"Yeah, I'm your man," he joked sheepishly and she cocked her head at him, smiling. His nervousness just made him cuter and cuter. Not that she cared, of course. She was one half of the golden couple- well, at least until Kemp and Claire broke up- and her boyfriend was the uncontested hottie on campus. She_ totally_ wasn't interested. Besides, he would be so bad for her rep. But maybe if he cleaned up his image a bit, he could date, say, her roommate. They'd be cute together. Maybe she'd try to get them to hook up. It would be a peace offering of sorts for Dylan, who she _may have_ treated like crap since they first met. "So, uh, when do you want to meet up?" he asked, voice steady for once and she quickly ran through the possibilities in her head.

"I'm free after school on Wednesdays and I have a free period on Friday afternoon. We can meet then. Library. And do you mind keeping this on the DL? I'd rather not have people know that I'm getting tutored. I already have enough shit to deal with this stupid rumor spreading," she added, grimacing. He chuckled sympathetically.

"Yeah, I heard about that. Don't worry, though. I personally don't believe it's true," he reassured her and she felt her body fill with warm gratitude for him. He reached out and touched her arm for a split second and gave her a warm smile. Butterflies erupted in the pit of her stomach and began to beat their wings violently and she involuntarily let out a tiny gasp that went unnoticed by Chris.

"So, library on Wednesday at three. I'll see you there," He gave her a nod, unaware of the effect he was having on her, and turned around to walk away. Kristen watched him disappear behind the corner of the hall and an ineffably happy smile spread across her face.

_**the it girl **_

She scanned the cafeteria with her azure orbs, sighing. Kemp didn't have the same lunch period as her- and neither did Nikki, Todd, or Dylan. She usually sat with Josh, but today he was skipping lunch to fix his schedule. Olivia and Massie were too catty and somewhat psychotic for her taste, and anyway, she didn't think she could stomach watching Cam fawn over Olivia like flies over week-old, moldy fruit left out in the sun to rot. Suddenly, she saw Derrick sitting with some guys from Varsity soccer and brightened. Finally. She sashayed across the room, ignoring the whistles and cat-calls aimed in her direction.

"Hey Claire," a burly football player across the cafeteria bellowed. "You wanna ditch this place and I'll show you some of my moves in say, a deserted closet or something?" Claire tried not to puke at the thought.

"I'd love to Aiden, but as it is, I'm actually not single at the moment," she shouted across the room, causing the majority of the males in the room to groan with disappointment. "Why don't you go 'show your moves' to Headmistress Queller? I'm sure she'd love to see them. God knows how long it's been since the two of you have had some action in the sack," She winked suggestively and smirked as the football captain turned bright red and sunk back into his seat as the rest of his team burst out into laughter. She continued toward the soccer boys' table and stood at the head of the table as the rest of the team stared at her shamelessly, eyes roving across her perfect, slender frame with barely disguised lust. Derrick gave her a small smile and nod of acknowledgment.

"Claire, hey. What's up?" His smile was weak and Claire furrowed her golden brows. Usually Derrick liked to see her. What was his deal?

"I was just wondering if you'd like to have lunch with me," she said sweetly, tilting her head to her golden waves cascaded gently to the side. Derrick paused for a moment, then gave her a half-smile.

"Sure," he said, and the rest of his team hooted and thumped his back knowingly. Claire rolled her eyes. Honestly, guys were such neanderthals sometimes. Derrick lifted his tray and followed her out the cafeteria doors with a hint of confusion. "Um, where are we going, C?" he asked, and she turned around and gave him a knowing wink.

"You'll see," she sang and led him up a few flight of stairs. He chuckled and followed her. Glancing around to make sure no one saw them, she opened the door at the top of the stairs and quickly ushered him in, grinning at his stunned expression.

"Whoa. I thought all entrances to the roof had been blocked off after Todd's suicide-attempt and that party we threw junior year on top of Benetton House," he marveled, admiring the view of the entire campus. Claire smiled and motioned for him to join her on the edge of the building, letting her slim legs dangle off the edge as she pulled out a wrapped tomato and mozzarella panini from her metallic silver tote.

"Nikki and I found it after that party," Claire smirked, remembering the appalled look on Headmistress Queller's face when she discovered all The Legacies and Usual Suspects completely trashed on the roof, with spilled alcohol, coke, and cigarette packets littering the ground. Claire had been stoned out of her mind with Harris, Layne, Griffin, and Allie-Rose and was in the process of doing a little strip-tease for an inebriated Dempsey and Josh while they whooped and chugged down bottles of Grey Goose. The highlight of the night, however, was when a piss-drunk Chris Abeley, in his state of vodka-induced delirium, mistook the Headmistress for Angelina Jolie who had materialized out of nowhere and proceeded to try to stick his tongue down her throat. _Priceless_. He was nearly expelled, but the sentence was lowered to in-house suspension when a huge check arrived in the mail with enough money to build three new wings to the Library and Admissions Offices from an "Anonymous Source". Although everyone knew it was just Daddy Abeley's huge trust fund that took a dent.

"Solid," Derrick nodded absently, staring out into the distance. Claire's grin faltered at his disinterested expression and she quickly spoke up.

"Let's play Twenty Questions!"

"Sure," Derrick gave her a lopsided grin and she suddenly felt breathless, like all the air had escaped from her lungs. Quickly shaking it off, she began, taking a huge bite out of her panini.

"Okay. Um... if you were a type of drug, what drug would you be?"

"That's easy. Definitely E," He nodded seriously and then smirked. "It makes everyone go crazy with lust." He winked and she giggled.

"Good answer," She gave him a nod of approval and golf-clapped as he bowed. "Your turn."

"If you were a type of party, what kind would you be?"

"A surprise party. Spontaneous and wild. The best kind, obviously," she said, mustering up her most convincing British accent. Derrick laughed. "What's your biggest pet peeve?"

"People who act like they have sticks shoved up their asses and don't know how to let loose sometimes. Uh, if you could live in any time period, what would you choose?"

"Oh, definitely 1899," she sighed, a dreamy look crossing her face.

"Why?" Derrick raised an eyebrow and nudged her as she continued to fantasize.

"Well, it's so much more glamorous, for starters. And classy. Forget the stupid fishnets and micro miniskirt crap," Her cheeks flushed with excitement. "Think corsets and black pearls. Floor length gowns in pale pink silk and velvet and and lace. And that's just the clothes. Everything about that time just seems so... dramatic. And romantic! Guys weren't such horny perverts. They were _gentleman,_" she sighed, staring into the distance. "And-"

"So, you're telling me that your ideal date would be a dude who wears tights and recites mushy Shakespeare sonnets?" Derrick chuckled, cutting through her monologue. "I don't think Kemp would be thrilled about that..."

"Shut up!" She shoved him lightly and grinned. "Well, it's not as though I can go back into that time, anyway. My turn- if you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you be?"

Derrick gave her a half-smile and lay down on his back, shutting his eyes and letting the golden sunlight cast a soft glow on his face.

"There's nowhere I'd rather be than here."

_**the drama parasite**_

The plan was brilliant. Even for her high standards.

Enough evidence was collected for her to make her conclusion: Nikki wasn't nearly as into Josh as he was in her. She was, however, _very _interested in a certain black-haired, blue-and-green-eyed hottie who happened to be dating her best friend.

So, she had created the most brilliant plan to land the guy _and _leave Nikki's life in shambles. Step One was to pretend to befriend Nikki and "help" her get close to Cam. Then she'd go to Josh and pretend to help him get with Nikki. She would convince Nikki to try for the jealousy tactic and pretend to date Josh (this would kill her, but she assured herself that it would all work out in the end) to get Cam to notice her. Josh would be happily oblivious and think that she actually liked him. Then after letting Cam break Nikki's heart (it would happen without her help), Nikki would try to find comfort in Josh. But then Massie would let the slip that Nikki was just using him. Josh would be furious and come running into Massie's waiting arms. And Nikki would be miserable and alone.

Confusing, yes. But effective.

"Hey Nikki," Massie greeted with a bright smile. Nikki looked up, startled, as Massie slid into the desk beside her.

"Um, hey," Nikki furrowed her dark brows and gave her a tentative smile in return before returning to pulling out her AP English novels before class started.

"Look," She dropped her voice to a low, conspiratorial tone. "I want you to know that... I know what you're going through. And I want to help you."

"What are you talking about?" Nikki asked sharply, slamming the books onto her desk with unintended force.

"I know about your little crush on Cammie," Massie whispered, masking the spiteful smirk on her face with a genuine smile. "And... well, let's face it. You're going to need all the help you can get to hook him. Because of, you know, Olivia and awl," she finished with her normal Valley-girl twang and tilted her head to the side, letting her lustrous chestnut curls tumble in perfect waves.

"Why would you want to help me?" Nikki responded finally, averting her suddenly wet eyes. _Aww, she's crying. How sentimental... _Massie thought with grim satisfaction. This would make everything so much easier.

"Because," she replied softly, adding a vulnerable tremor to her voice to sound more sincere. "I know how it feels. I love someone too, but he's taken by someone else. And I'd do anything to get him," she finished dramatically and mentally congratulating herself for a job well done. Actually, it was not too far from the truth but Josh wasn't actually taken. Yet.

"Really?" Nikki sniffed, and dabbed her eyes, which were miraculously dry and not red at all. "Who do you like?"

"Oh, um..." Massie faltered. She couldn't actually say Josh- that would ruin everything. Cam was out of the question. Maybe Kemp? No, Nikki was too close to Kemp and might mention it by accident. Todd...? _Gawd no_- if Kristen got even the slightest gist that Massie liked Todd, she'd be screwed. "Derrick!" she blurted out and Nikki gave her a sympathetic frown.

"Oh, I see. That explains it... Kristen is totally killer. I'm sorry," She placed a gentle, comforting hand on Massie's arm and Massie nearly laughed out loud. This was really too, too easy. Sweet gullible girls like Nikki were such simple targets.

"Yes, well," She put on a brave smile. "I know that there's no way I can get Derrick. But I can help you get Cam. It's the least I could do for a fellow, um, lonely heart." She mentally slapped herself for the cheesy ending but Nikki's face brightened visibly.

"Really, Massie?" she asked in a breathlessly ecstatic voice, dark eyes practically sparkling. "You're such a great friend! Thank you so much! I totally owe you one."

"My pleasure, babe," Massie dropped her heavily shadowed eyelid into a lazy wink and smirked inwardly. Step One complete.

_**the new girl**_

"Um, some guy asked me to give this to you," a nasally voice said from behind her. Dylan whipped around to see a bored-looking sophomore with wild, corkscrew curls and a perma tan looking down at her.

"Uh, thanks?" She responded tentatively and took the folded piece of paper that sat in the girl's outstretched hand. The girl gave her a curt nod and turned to walk away. Dylan waited till the girl disappeared from view to stare at the note in her hand. From across the lunch table, Nikki and Kemp watched her curiously and she suddenly felt self conscious. Nikki was sweet and everything but she had never met a guy more intimidatingly handsome as Kemp Hurley. He was deadly gorgeous but had that demeanor that practically dripped "too-good-for-you" and "can't-come-near-me-I'm-too-hot" that kind of freaked Dylan out. He looked away first- and Dylan let out a breath that she didn't realize she had been holding. Typical. Beautiful boys like Kemp weren't interested in one thing for too long. He immediately engaged Nikki in some conversation about _Anna Karenina _and acted like she wasn't there at all_. _Assured that neither were paying attention to her, she unfolded the note in her lap.

_Hey beautiful :) _

_Meet me outside Room 103? I've got a surprise for you. _

_~Boy-who-steals-babies-and-hides-them-in-warehouse-in-Dubai-guarded-by-polar-bears _

Dylan cracked a smile at his signature, remembering her psychotic meltdown in the elevator when they had gone to that party at the Lyons' penthouse.

"Hey, guys? Where's Room 103?" she asked nervously, absently twirling an auburn curl around her index finger. Kemp looked up slowly from his sandwich and Dylan shuddered slightly as his electrifying blue eyes set their gaze on her now-blushing face. Nikki smiled knowingly.

"Not far from here," Nikki said casually, though she winked when Kemp silently deemed the conversation too unimportant for his attention. "It's just down the hall, take a right into the English wing. Third door on your left."

"Cool, thanks," she replied gratefully and quickly stuffed her books into her yellow D&G snakeskin tote. "I'll be off then. Catch you guys later, yeah?"

"You're leaving?" Kemp asked in his low, velvety voice that nearly made Dylan swoon on the spot. _He ought to be locked up for being so damn seductive without even trying_, she thought murderously.

"Y-yeah," she stuttered and Nikki stifled a giggle.

"Oh, okay. Cool. Later." He gave her a small nod before getting up to throw out his trash. Dylan stared after him, unable to help herself.

"Don't faint on me, okay?" Nikki said with an eye roll. "I know he's gorgeous and all, but he's like a drug. Once you're on the bandwagon, it's impossible to get off. Besides, I don't think _either_ of the Lyons twins would like you making googly eyes at him."

"You know too?" Dylan asked weakly. Nikki nodded.

"Yeah. Josh told me... but don't worry. I can keep a secret," She winked and Dylan felt a tiny bit better. Nikki seemed like someone she could trust. Suddenly, she remembered something she had to do.

"Um, Josh is a really cool guy, don't you think?" Dylan blurted out. Nikki looked at her a bit oddly before nodding.

"Yeah, he's chill. Why?"

"Because, uh..." She racked her thoughts for something intelligent to say. "He was telling me what an amazing artist you were. You took lessons at The Louvre, didn't you?" she said triumphantly, remembering Claire mention it to her in one of their conversations. She silently thanked her lucky stars as Nikki's smile widened and she nodded enthusiastically.

"Oh yes, yes! It was fabulous! He really told you about that? Wow. I really didn't expect it from him..."

"Well, people tend to surprise you, don't they?" Dylan mentally patted herself on the back for doing at least one good deed for the day. Now, it was time to go meet up with her clandestine lover. "Anyway, places to go, people to see. And um, you should hang out with Josh more. He's a good guy." She added quickly before racing out the door and running down the hallway to Room 103.

She spotted Todd leaning nonchalantly against the wall and he grinned at her flushed face with a hint of satisfaction.

"Running here to meet me, eh? I think I'm liking this."

"Don't flatter yourself, pretty boy," She rolled her jade eyes but her playful smile betrayed her feelings. "I really needed to use the loo, that's all."

"Going all British on me, love?" Todd laughed and arched an auburn brow before holding his arm out for her to grab. "I think it suits you."

"Why thank you, my dear sir," Dylan took his arm, smiling as he led her down the empty hallway. "That was most kind of you."

"I daresay that hearing you use a British accent is quite the turn on," Todd flashed her a mischievous smile and she pretended to gasp.

"How dare you, stupid tosser! I ought to sploff your fozza with some spliff, you wanker."

"Okay... I did not understand a single word of that," Todd said slowly, shaking his head. "Where the hell did you get all that?"

"I have this guilty pleasure for real English porn," Dylan said in a faux-serious voice. "You would not believe the stuff those British girls scream when they're getting some."

"I knew you were a closet perv," he exclaimed, grinning. She stuck her tongue out in response.

"That was a joke, stupid. Only creepy freaks watch porn."

They continued to banter back and forth until finally, they stopped in front of a large greenhouse. Dylan hadn't even noticed they had walked so far. Todd quickly glanced though the glass before opening the door and pushing her in. Suddenly, the temperature felt about ten degrees hotter and much more humid. Sweat beads formed on her temple but the lush greenery of the plants overshadowed her discomfort. Flowers were everywhere- hundreds of different varieties- orchids, hibiscuses, lilies, in every color imaginable. It was like the Garden of Eden itself had materialized into the room and she grinned up at Todd, who was watching her carefully as she marveled at the beauty of it all.

"Like it?" he asked hesitantly. "I was thinking we could meet here for lunch instead of the caf. No Kristen breathing down our necks. Today I got lucky and Mr. Monahan asked to speak with her after class. I could just tell her my schedule changed. No biggie," His face looked apprehensive as he waited for her response. When she remained silent he groaned. "I knew it. This is too gay, isn't it? Guy brings girl to room full of flowers. I'm sorry, okay? Sometimes I can't draw the line between queer and romantic. I-"

She cut him off by flinging her arms around his neck and slamming her lips against his.

"This is unbelievably romantic. And I happen to love it," she said breathlessly, pulling away and to stare at Todd's grinning face. "But.... you know, I haven't seen you in hours and we only have about thirty minutes of unsupervised lunch left..." He smirked before kissing her again. They had a lot of catching up to do.

* * *

Hehe. A little Dylan/Todd action never hurt anyone :)

An extra-long chapter, as promised. Now lengthy reviews would be very much appreciated.


	8. you sell yourself to make it

i love you all.

that's all i have to say.

and that "the world will never do", "wet hot american summer", and "you're not in on the joke" from _hot mess _are on repeat on my iPod. because you obviously care ;)

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**_the big man on campus _**

He waited patiently at the empty cafe table, exchanging glances between the heavy platinum Rolex on his wrist and the steaming cups of coffee sitting on them. A plate of warm, walnut-studded biscottis sat in the center of the table, the intoxicating sweet aroma filling the air. She was late. It was like having an out-of-body experience. Usually he was the one who was always late for everything- dates, dances, study sessions- and she'd always chastise him for it. All he needed to do was flash his famous smile and kiss her after apologizing, and she immediately forgave him. But considering that they had barely spoken since school began, he wondered what could possibly cause her to be late.

"Sorry I'm late!" a breathless voice said, and a flurry of silky blonde hair and designer clothes swept into the seat across from him, grabbing the coffee on the table with a manicured hand.

"It's fine," Derrick smiled warmly at his girlfriend of fourteen months and Kristen gave him one in return- albeit nervously. An awkward pause settled on the two and he quickly broke the silence. "So, uh, what held you up?"

"Oh, it was nothing," Kristen replied quickly, but a sort of secretive smile spread across her practically glowing face. Derrick raised his eyebrows but said nothing. Her cheeks flushed prettily and he wondered what caused her to be so happy. She only was like this when something really really _really _good had happened. But he wasn't going to ask further. She probably just found out she was, like, valedictorian even before classes started, or got into Yale super-early, or was the proud new owner of a private island off the coast of South America, courtesy of gold-digger mother- who went through high-powered executive husbands like a chronic nosebleeder went through tissues, leaving her mounds of bonds and cash in her ever-growing ultra-platinum bank account.

"Oh, okay," he said uncertainly and another awkward pause silenced them. Kristen tried to ignore the silence by going through her tote, pretending to look for something while Derrick just sipped his coffee and absently took a bite of the chocolate and walnut biscotti. He wasn't sure what was going on. Wasn't it just a few days ago when Kristen had left that sexy voice message on his phone, asking him to sneak in? They had spent literally the entire summer on her summer mansion in the Hamptons, went clubbing every night, spent countless hours lounging on the beaches, and even messed around on her mom's bed- a little episode that excited and terrified Kristen to no end. All in all, they had been the ultimate power couple in the Hamptons for a while (even the gossip column in the Hampton newspaper had dubbed them "Hampton's very own Brangelina"- a quote that Kristen had gloated about at every meal afterwards). It was going perfectly... until Claire and Todd arrived, bringing along Nikki, Josh, Kemp, Harris Fisher, Saylene Homer, Griffin Hastings, and the Abeley twins. It woudn't have been so bad- why would he complain if all his friends were around?- but then it happened.

They were all on the beach- Kristen, Saylene, and Layne were tanning and the guys had started a game of volleyball when he saw her. Claire, splashing the the glittering turquoise ocean with Nikki, golden blonde hair shimmering in the light, eyes and smile looking so carefree and playful, he couldn't stop staring (sure, she was also wearing that indecently tiny white and gold bikini but he was proud to say he barely noticed). And then when she opened her full, pouty lips to yell, 'Get in here, Derrick! The water's beautiful!', he was decidedly whipped. He could hardly even stand to be around Kristen anymore because all thoughts always drifted back to her half-sister. Sure, he had been attracted to her before the event- which person with a Y-chromosome wasn't?- but the sight of her splashing around in the water, looking every bit like an ethereal Calypso, just intensified it. From that moment on, he noticed everything. The way she almost always had her frayed iPod headphones in her ear, mouthing the words to the latest Fall Out Boy song with her eyes closed, swinging back and forth on the hammock. The way her azure eyes would crinkle at the edges when she smiled. The way she was always so bright and fun and lively and so utterly _Claire, _as he admitted to Josh at the end of that summer and his best friend had simply stared at him, looking pitying. _Sucks man, _Josh had said, taking a swing of Budweiser. _Ignoring the fact that she hasn't been with a guy for more than three weeks- your girlfriend's sister? You are in serious shit, you know that? _And reality came crashing down.

It wasn't like he didn't like Kristen. He did. But ever since she and her mother's relationship had hit an all time low, she had become more uptight and demanding than ever before and frankly, it was freaking him out. But he knew he couldn't dump her. It would be a dick thing to do. Sure she was a little more needy, but that wasn't enough for their relationship to end. He knew he'd have to eventually tell her about his infatuation with her sister, but was holding it off for as long as possible. Besides, she needed him right now. With pressure coming from all sides- her family, school- dumping her would be unfair.

"Derrick, are you okay? You've been zoning out for the last couple minutes," Kristen said anxiously, and he immediately snapped out of it and looked up. She was biting her pale bottom lip and when she tilted her head, her pin-straight dirty blonde hair fell neatly to one side. He smiled absently. Unnaturally beautiful, brilliant as hell, sarcastic but sweet- she was way too good for him. She deserved someone else- someone who loved her properly. Definitely not someone like him.

"No, I'm not okay," Derrick said finally and her navy eyes widened. "I haven't seen my girlfriend in days and now I'm finally with her, but she hasn't kissed me yet. And that's definitely not okay," He shot her a roguish wink and she grinned, but he thought he saw a shadow of uncertainty flash across her face. But it was gone faster than it appeared and she leaned in, lips meeting his in a way that was both familiar and sweet. And just when he was actually enjoying the feel of his girlfriend's tongue in his mouth, Claire and Kemp, followed by a tall, nerdy-looking blonde guy with glasses, walked in, and they both froze.

**_the exchange student_**

"Hey, Josh!" a voice chirped eagerly behind him. He groaned inwardly before turning around, hoping it wasn't one of those stalkerish freshman who had actually worked up the guts to talk to him. Instead, he was met with the sight of an unnaturally... innocent-looking Massie Block, decked in a baby-pink polo and unusually conservative khaki capris. Usually, she and Olivia dressed in Bond Girl-inspired, risque miniskirts that barely passed the dress code and navel-baring tube tops that were the source of the excited, lusty talk of those geek band dorks who had probably never been kissed by any female but their moms.

"Massie, hey. Whattup?" He nodded at her and she sat down beside him on his favorite patch of grass on the Great Lawn, right beneath the cherry blossom tree that had been planted their by their flowering tree-obsessed Headmistress. Her chestnut curls tumbled haphazardly around her round, porcelain face as she leaned in, as though she was going to kiss him. He, feeling uneasy, moved a few inches away and she giggled.

"Oh, Josh. It's been so long since you've had a girlfriend, you know that?" she said breathlessly and he frowned, suspecting where this was going. He always had a nagging feeling that Massie might actually have a full-fledged crush on him, which effectively stopped him from flirting or hooking up with her. He never hooked up with a girl if he knew the girl would take it the wrong way. He nearly let out a groan of frustration when he remembered leading her on at Claire's party. Shit, shit, shit.

"Look, Massie, I-"

"I'm going to help you get with Nikki," she interrupted, widening her doe-eyes with a hint of mischievousness in her smile. He froze. _What? _

"What?" he responded dumbly, furrowing his dark brows in confusion. "I thought you... wait, how did you even know about that?"

"I have my ways," She waggled her eyebrows suggestively and he smiled in spite of himself. "And I'll do it. I'll convince her to go out with you. In fact, I'll get her to ask you out. How does that sound?"

"Damn," he said finally, after a long pause. Then he grinned and continued earnestly. "I really pegged you wrong, Mass. I thought you were a... well, it doesn't matter anymore. You're awesome and I totally owe you. Just name it, and I'll do it for you."

Massie laughed and in the light, in her pastel-colored polo and unruly brunette curls tamed with a argyle headband, she looked a bit like Nikki and he had the sudden urge to kiss her. As though she could read his mind, she smirked and the likeness went away.

"I'll get my reward for this later," She paused and for a moment, he thought he heard a double-meaning in her words. Then she smiled and he felt reassured. "This definitely deserves a Nobel, don't you think? But, I'll just go work my magic and you'll be a taken man in no time."

"You're a babe, M," he said lazily, grinning at the thought of Nikki, looking utterly delicious and sweet with her cheeks flushed as she nervously asked him out. If that amazing kiss they shared at the party was any sign of how wildly intoxicating their relationship was going to be, then he was practically giddy from excitement. "I really owe you one."

"Don't worry, Josh," Her lips curled into a smirk. "Everything's going to turn out just fine in the end."

**_the sweetheart _**

He practically ran down the hall toward his girlfriend's room, each stride filled with purpose. He couldn't believe her. Nikki had the audacity to actually lie to him about Olivia? He knew that she hated her, but that still didn't make sense. Why would she- _oh, shit. _He stopped dead in his tracks, realization settling. Nikki liked him. She had liked him for ages, but never said anything about it. That was why she hated Olivia. That was why she'd always act... differently around Cam. More giggly and flirtatious and... oh, God. This was so fucked up.

Well, it was clear what he'd have to do. He'd set an ultimatum. Nikki could just apologize and accept the fact that his girlfriend was faithful and promise not to try to sabatoge his relationship with Olivia again, no matter how she felt about him or... well, their friendship was over. But first, he needed to see his girlfriend. Stopping outside Benetton House, he quickly dialed Claire's number and sternly asked her to let him in. A few seconds later, Claire appeared at the door and opened it, looking bemused.

"Cam, are you okay? You look... deranged."

He simply ignored her and stormed up the steps to the second floor, Nikes sinking into the plush, alabaster carpets as he paused outside the large, oak-paneled door with the sparkly, handmade "Massie&Olivia's Crib" poster. Through the door, he thought he could hear a faint giggle, but he quickly shrugged it off and knocked three times on the door. Suddenly, whatever activity on the other side of the door stopped abruptly and there was the sound of scuffling and things being knocked down. A muffled shout was the last thing Cam heard before the door swung open and Olivia appeared, a slightly worried smile plastered on her face. Cam stared her down, eyes roving across her wrinkled Oxford and slightly disheveled hair. He let in a sharp intake of breath and Olivia glanced at him fearfully under her white-blonde lashes.

"Um, was I interrupting something?" he asked finally through gritted teeth. Olivia's cornflower-blue eyes widened and she shook her head.

"Oh, no Cammie!" She immediately threw her arms around his neck and planted a soft kiss on his mouth. When she pulled away, he was feeling groggy and confused and happy all at once. "I was, well..." Her lips brushed his earlobe as though she was confiding in him a dark secret. "I was jumping on the bed. A bit immature, but I was feeling stressed and it made me feel so much better," She smiled innocently and he felt his body flood with relief. This child-like confession just made her even more perfect in Cam's eyes.

"How about I help you relieve some of your stress?" he whispered in her ear, voice heavy with implication, and she stared at him incredulously. It was completely uncharacteristic of him to say such sexually suggestive lines (that was Josh/Kemp/Derrick/Griffin/every other guy at Windsor's job) instead of his typically pure, romantic bits but the effect was good. She grinned impishly and dragged him by his collar toward the bed, the door slamming shut behind them. And as her mouth hungrily attacked his, and they collapsed onto the bed and all he could see was clouds of silky, white-blonde hair, he couldn't ignore that nagging feeling that that emotion in Olivia's eyes earlier was guilt.

**_the new girl _**

"Good new, Dyl. You're off the hook," Josh's voice sounded faraway, so she took out a headphone and glanced up from her homework.

"Off the hook with what?" she asked, auburn brows furrowing with confusion as the handsome Spanish boy collapsed into the seat beside her in the crowded Benetton House common room. Apparently this was where all the Usual Suspects hung out after classes and sports. The common room was like something out of a Harry Potter book- a large fireplace that was lit during the winter time, large, antique and plushy armchairs and oak tables, and red velvet walls and brilliantly colorful tapestries. Nobody outside of the A-list ever dared to enter the common room after 6- it was the unspoken rule and no one was stupid enough to try to sneak in. According to Nikki, one social-ladder obsessed freshman had thought it would be good for her status if she hung out where the rest of the A-list studied. The girl, she said with a tinge of sympathy, had faced public humiliation at the biggest football game of the year, where her diary was read outloud to the entire school- a particularly revealing passage which not only caused the girl social homicide, but practically begging her parents to transfer schools. Claire and Nikki had called the punishment much, much too harsh and practically begged the girl for forgiveness despite not being involved in it. Even Kristen had been against it but Massie and Olivia, furious at whoever tried to invade their "clique" were ruthless.

"You don't need to talk to Nikki anymore about me," He paused for dramatic effect. "Because she asked me out today."

"No way!" Dylan's jade eyes widened with surprise. She thought that it would take a hell of a lot more effort on her part but apparently, Nikki had seen the light and realized that Cam wasn't for her. _Speak of the devil_... she thought, as Cam and Olivia stumbled into the room, grinning with their clothes visibly disheveled. Derrick let out a low whistle as they both squeezed into an over-stuffed armchair. Kemp was lying down on the luxurious, plush carpets with Claire as they did their AP Psych homework, sharing an iPod as they scribbled answers in their textbooks, mouths moving in synch to the lyrics of Fall Out Boy's "Coffee's for Closers". Derrick and Kristen were both sprawled on the velvet loveseat, working on their Biology and Physics notes respectively, looking ever the golden couple. Nikki was sitting on the floor and leaning against the couch near the empty fireplace as she read her English text, _Anna Karenina_, iPod headphones plugged in; Massie was quizzing herself with AP French vocab as she paced around the room. From across the common room, Todd- who was sitting in the reading nook in the East wall- gave Dylan a secret smile and wink as she blushed. "Um, when did she ask?" she asked quickly, hoping Josh didn't see the exchange. But he was too absorbed in his euphoria of going out with the girl he had been after for ages to notice.

"Just a couple of hours ago. At dinner. We have our first date on Sunday. Since Saturday night's, you know, the bonfire. You're coming, yeah?"

"Of course," Dylan smiled, tossing her auburn curls back. "Wouldn't miss it. But, uh, loverboy? I think Juliet's looking for you. You better go," She smirked as Josh immediately glanced at Nikki, who was beckoning for him to join her near the fireplace. He grinned and went over to her without another word.

"Um, Dylan?"

Dylan looked up to see Kristen frowning down at her. Her heart rate quickened without warning. Did Kristen know? _Ohshitohshitohshitohshit_....

"Look, I know I haven't exactly been the friendliest the past couple of days, so I want to make it up to you," Kristen said quickly, hand sliding down the side of her Catherine Malandrino dress.

"Oh, there's no problem. Don't worry about it," Dylan said, breathing a silent sigh of relief. Kristen shook her head earnestly and sat down beside her.

"No, really. I desperately want to make it up to you. Please, just go along with it."

"If you insist," Dylan shrugged, smiling at her roommate's beaming face.

"Great! Well, we're going on a double date on Saturday. You, me, Derrick and Chris are going out to dinner."

Dylan felt her insides perform somersaults worthy of gold-medal Olympic Gymnasts. But in a awful, ominous way. What?

"Wait... double date? Who's Chris?" she stuttered, and Todd, who had walked over to grab a book left on the table, suddenly stopped and stared at Kristen with a uncomprehending scowl.

"Chris is the hot date. He's the lucky guy you're going to be taking out to dinner. With me and Derrick on Saturday." Kristen's smile widened and Dylan suddenly felt sick to her stomach. She couldn't care less about the fact that she was missing the bonfire. But what killed her was the hurt and angry expression on Todd's face as he glared at his half-sister with more than just a hint of venom.

"But, Kris, Saturday's the bonfire!" Todd cut in quickly, throwing Dylan a desperate glance. Kristen arched a golden brow and frowned.

"So? Look, why do even care that Dylan's missing it anyway? You guys barely know each other," Kristen said accusingly, glancing at both Dylan and Todd for an explanation. They both remained silent. "I know!" Kristen smiled and they looked up, confused. "Todd, you should come with us!"

Dylan felt even worse now, like a migraine was coming on. A date. With her bipolar roommate, her roommate's angsty yet hot boyfriend, a guy who she didn't know but Kristen expected her to flirt with, and Todd. Fan-_freaking_-tastic.

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this is probably going to be the last update in a while, unless i pull off a miracle and post another one before school starts. please don't expect as frequent updates once school begins. which, for me, is on tuesday. however, reviews would be an extremely effective incentive in getting me to update sooner :D


	9. please don't kill me

So, I know you guys have been eagerly awaiting the next chapter (or at least that's what i'm telling myself to raise my self-esteem :P)... but this story is on indefinite hiatus. As I told Maddie and Sydney, I'm pretty much dying from all the AP courses, chorus rehearsals, dance team shows, community service, etc. But! I do have the next chapter in the works, so that may be up soon-ish... maybe. But that's about all I can promise. But thanks for sticking with this story- I promise I won't abandon it, unless you guys come at me with pitchforks and fires to get me to stop :) Anyway, I love all your long, rambly reviews, and I hope that you won't give up on this story... I happen to be kinda in love with some of the characters and I hope you guys adore them as much as I do.


	10. you can dish it, butcanyoureallytakeit?

**whoa.**

**i actually updated. thankssomuch to all you dedicated readers who pester me in reviews to update :D this is for you. **

**sorry for the suckiness- i was hoping to just get out a chapter to satiate your hunger, but i'll hopefully update over thanksgiving break (six more hours, woot!woot!) **

**

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**_**the tall, dark, and handsome**_

_"You can only blame your problems on the world for so long, before it all becomes the same old song..."_ her soft, giggly voice crooned in his ear as he leaned against his pillow, _The Great Gatsby _in hand, but not paying much attention at all. He let out a content sigh and she beamed up at him, laser-whitened teeth gleaming as she snuggled into his chest. He grinned lazily at the ethereal blonde in his arms and leaned down to place an unusually gentle kiss on her pale mouth. She giggled again, blunt gold bangs brushing at the golden lashes that framed crystal cerulean eyes, and he smiled because he loved to make her happy. Too bad he wasn't the guy who was meant for the job.

A slight scowl suddenly overtook his GQ-worthy face as he thought of Derrick Harrington- the guy who would inevitably end up with the girl who was lying in his bed, wearing his boxers and over-sized baby blue polo, looking every bit the urban princess- city royalty with a twist of wild spunk and the sweet, vulnerable side that hid beneath it.

"You okay, Kemp?" she mumbled against his earlobe, lips brushing his neck as she snuggled deeper into the warm duvet.

"Yeah, babe, I'm fine," he dead-panned, and Claire looked up, concerned.

"That didn't sound too convincing," she said accusingly, scrunching up her ski-slope nose with a small frown. "Something's bothering you. Don't even try to hide it."

He laughed. Hiding secrets from each other was impossible. He already knew her secret was brewing- an undeniable attraction between herself and her half-sister's boyfriend- even if she hadn't realized it yet. They had been best friends since the third grade (they had bonded over a shared passion for alternative rock and being the only kids in their class to lose their 'lip virginity') and swore on Gabe Saporta that they would never keep anything away from each other. And Kemp _would have_ told her the truth about Derrick and everything but something unexplainable was stopping him.

"I'm just pissed that we haven't made out yet," he drawled and she smirked and licked her slightly chapped lips.

"I'm surprised you managed to hold in your feelings till now," she began, throwing a leg over his to straddle him. "A true gentleman, however, would ask permission of the lady," she continued, face inches from his own so he could feel her intoxicatingly hot breath against his mouth.

"Well, do I have your permission?" he asked politely, a roguish grin spreading across his face. She teased him by leaning in more, body almost completely pressed to his own, lips looking utterly kissable and sweet, before whispering in his ear,

"Nope."

And with that she untangled herself from the mess of sheets, tossed her white and gold trench coat over Kemp's boxers and Ralph Lauren polo and winked before whisking out the door without another word.

_**the devil incarnate**_

"You're a whore, you know that?"

"If you give me money, I'll prove it to you," she shot back, not turning around to see who was talking to her. Nikki's face appeared in the mirror alongside her own and Olivia grinned at her reflection, running a manicured hand through her white-blonde waves of silk. "Ooh, Dalton's got a potty mouth!" She smirked and rapidly began braiding her shoulder-length hair into two stubby, utterly adorable braids. Nikki's glare intensified and she set her jaw as she leaned against the white porcelain sink.

"I hate you for what you're doing to Cam. How can you be so selfish? He's such a good guy. You don't deserve him. And he doesn't deserve the crap you're giving him," she said in a deadly calm tone, huge, doe-eyes narrowing into slits. "You're such a- a..."

"Whore? Prostitute? Slut? Bitchy-skank-ho? All of the above? Honey, I know," Olivia smiled angelically and tugged at the hem of her pale pink v-neck shirt so that it revealed more than just a hint of decolletage- the white lace of her La Perle bra peeked through. "But Nikkums, you've got to stop hurting yourself like this," she continued in a faux-concerned voice. "Cammie's _mine, _mkay? And no matter what you say, he will never, ever believe anything bad you say about me. And you know why? _Because he loves me,_" she enunciated slowly, smirking slightly as Nikki practically winced from the effect of the words. "And he will never love you. So build yourself a bridge and get over it, because there's really no point in trying to save a sinking ship."

"That-that's not true," Nikki whispered, shaking her head adamantly. "He'll find out one day about your whoring, slutty ways and he'll dump you. I know he will. He's smarter than that. And he deserves better."

Olivia sighed resignedly and slid her pink, rhinestone-covered EnV into the back pocket of her barely-there, dark-wash denim True Religion miniskirt. Gazing critically at her tanned, golden legs and ensuring that every rhinestone was in place on her gold DKNY pumps, she winked at her reflection.

"Whatevs. But I intend to make sure that day never comes," She puckered her ultra-glossy lips at Nikki and smirked. "Off to go find Vader now. He's already called me for some late-night rendezvous in the boy's locker room. If you want, you can come watch. Pick up a few pointers, you know? God knows how little you must know about sex. Still a virgin, yeah? Thought so. Maybe I'll mess around with Cam tonight too. Reenact whatever me and Vader end up doing," She smirked as Nikki's fists tightened till the knuckles were mottled purple. "Ciao, darling!"

And with a final flip of her chemically-straightened silky white-blonde hair, she sauntered out of the bathroom, leaving an enraged Benetton girl behind her.

_**the sweetheart**_

This was definitely one of the strangest groups he had ever found himself with.

Massie, who was drunk and loud, wrapping her bangle-covered arm around his shoulders, whimpering, _Come 'ere, Cammie, give your girlfriend a kiss.. _to which he simply shoved her off him, causing her to land on the carpeted floor with a muted _thump. _

Derrick, who, besides being drunk, was busy mumbling something about blonde hair and golden girls to the excited freshman he had grabbed out of nowhere, who looked practically giddy from the attention she was getting from the big man on campus.

Todd, who was busy flirting heavily with what appeared to be his tuna fish sandwich, stoned out of his mind.

The scene- oh, Massie started to confess her deep, passionate love for the carpet and was trying to seduce it- was undeniably just screaming for trouble- suspension, probation, expulsion... _and all those other "ion" words.. _Cam thought absently, rubbing his temples to soothe his growing migraine.

"Fishy, are you have girl problems too?" Derrick mumbled, sidling up to him, hunched over with his dirty blonde hair plastered to his slightly sticky forehead. The freshman he had been babbling to must have ran away to brag to all her friends about how Derrick Harrington "hit on her". Cam shot him a withering look and his frown deepened, as the headache just got worse and worse.

"Uh, yeah- well, no. I mean, kinda. Listen, do you think Olivia loves me?" he asked in an overly-loud voice, causing Massie to glare from her spot on the carpet. Derrick chewed his bottom lip thoughtfully and his glazed-over eyes looked unusually vulnerable.

"Dude, you're like her bitch. I mean, she parades you around like you're on a collar and plays you and-"

"What?" he cut in, eyes flashing dangerously. "What do you mean, 'she plays me'?"

"I mean, you're not the only one tapping that ass, man," Derrick slurred, winking, unaware of the volcanic effect it was causing his friend. "I mean, sure, she's smokin' and all, but damn man, you must really fucking love her to be dating such a-"

"Shut up!" Cam snapped, stifling the urge to punch him in the jaw. It was against the bro-code to hurt a friend who was under the influence of ADHG- alcohol, drugs, or hot girls. Derrick merely let out a chuckle and held out the tequila in his hand toward Cam.

"Your loss, C-fish. Lemme know when the wedding is. Shall we toast to that?"

"Fuck you, man," he mumbled in an uncharacteristically harsh tone, but grabbed the drink anyway. Derrick laughed and took a swing of his Spanish-imported alcohol.

"You know you want to."

"Girls cause so much shit," Todd muttered from his fetal position on the ground. The four of them were in the now-deserted student lounge of the Science building. It was the notorious place known for being a drug hideout (Cam knew that Josh and Derrick came by regularly for pot), a place to get drunk out of their minds, and a rather trashy hookup spot. Teachers rarely came by, knowing fully well what was going on, but with they couldn't very well kick out students whose parents practically ran the school with their constant stream of donations. Between the A-list parents alone, they could probably fund a brand new elite prep school.

"Agreed," Derrick nodded, and Cam could practically see him envisioning the Lyons-Gregory blondes in his alcohol-muddled mind.

"No, it's you stupid-ass guys that cause problems," Massie spat from the carpet, absently raking her fingers through her luxuriant chestnut curls. "You and your stupid mind games- you flirt with one girl one second, then chase after another one the next. Just make up your fucking mind!"

"Hell no, Block," Derrick's eyes darkened. "Girls are the ones that play all those mind games. It's like we're pawns in your little board game, and you just play us because you know you can get away with it!"

"Oh, sod off, you guys," Todd slurred, letting his British vocabulary show, which happened whenever he was stoned. "Derrick, we all know that you're obsessed with my sister, okay? And you know that she never goes for just one guy, so just grow some and get over it. And Massie, save the bitchiness for the soap operas. Your love lives may be fucked, but don't take it all out over here. Just shut the hell up."

"Thank you, Todd," Cam grinned, glancing at Derrick and Massie's mutinous faces. "I think that did the trick."

"Oh, and for the record Cam," Todd mumbled again, standing up shakily to make his way to the door. "Olivia _is _cheating on you."

_**the new girl**_

"Dylan..." a shaky voice whispered loudly through the darkness.

Dylan shot up in bed, whipping her head around to see where the noise was coming from. Blinking around the darkened room, she spotted a shadow by the balcony, where silvery moonlight was streaming through. Glancing over to her sleeping roommate's form, she slipped out of bed and tip-toed toward the large French doors that led to the balcony.

"Todd?" she whisper-giggled, shivering slightly under the silky Victoria's Secret robe as she softly closed the balcony door behind her. "Is that you?"

"I'm hoping I'm the only guy who would climb up a tree to sneak into your dorm at night,"

Her head whipped around to see the familiar redhead grinning at her from the branch of the large maple tree that stood beside the balcony. She smiled ecstatically as he, in a deft movement, swung from the branch onto the balcony, landing with a soft thump. He wobbled for a moment, but regained his balance and held out his arms as she ran toward him, throwing her arms around his tanned neck.

"Tarzan, I've missed you," she laughed softly, placing a kiss near his mouth. He smiled down at her, cerulean eyes looking clouded but mellow, and she pulled away slightly, frowning. "Were you doing pot?"

"Maybe," he laughed and she pursued her bee-stung lips disapprovingly. His smile dropped when he realized her expression and he placed his arms up in the air in surrender. "Okay, yes, I did. But not too much, I promise. I just needed to... mellow out."

"I see..." But her words didn't match with the deep frown that graced her face.

"Oh, Dyl, come on. It's really not that big a deal. Just..." he trailed off when he saw her stony expression and groaned. "Crap, did I actually make the mistake of dating someone responsible?"

This elicited a tiny smile out of her and he whooped, punching his fist in the air.

"Yeah, you smiled! Don't even try to hide it, Marvil, I see you!"

At this, she burst out into frenzied laughter- the scene was just so ridiculous.

"And if it helps, I promise that I will snort responsibly," Todd bowed and saluted. "Boy Scout's honor."

"You're a freak, Lyons," Dylan rolled her jade eyes and shook her unruly curls. Todd grinned in the darkness and grabbed her by the waist to pull her closer. Her breath hitched as he settled his striking cerulean gaze on her pale, moonlit face.

"I'm your freak, Marvil," he whispered and she giggled as he brushed his lips against her earlobe.

"Of course you're mine. No one else would even want to date you- this is practically pity-dating. It's not like you're actually attractive or anything," she teased in response and he chuckled before bringing his lips closer to her mouth. She tilted her chin up and let her eyelids flutter shut in anticipation.

_"Dylan? Is that you outside?" _

The two of them jumped away from each other like they were on fire as Kristen's voice, thick with sleep, cut through the balmy summer air like glass and the sound of footsteps came closer and closer.

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**haha, the first time i've ended with a cliff-hanger. don't hate ;) **

**all reviewers get to have todd lyons sneak into their room tonight for some clandestine romance. you know you want it.  
**


	11. you'renevergoingtogetitwithnothing

I'M SO SORRY TO EVERYONE WHO HAS ASKED ME TO UPDATE THIS. i cannot believe it has taken me months to update, but i guess you guys know that this story is far from dead :D

i'll probably be updating more during march break but i figured you guys deserved a new chapter since i last updated, like... last year.

but yeah; thoughts for the day: jack johnson songs make the world go round; logan lerman and i are married (dude, called him since _hoot _so i beat out all you crazy fan!girls can go run after jake abel instead :D); and i cried when i heard 'thnks fr th mmrs' because fall out boy is over. that's just wrong.

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**_the queen bee_**

_Lovely day_, she thought to herself, allowing one of her rare, genuine smiles to grace her face. Though it was already mid-September, the temperature in upstate New York had dropped to a biting Autumn chill, but she couldn't love it more. Clusters of crimson, gold, and chocolate-colored maple leaves flooded the wide expanse of freshly mowed lawn that stretched across campus. She even let out a small giggle as the crisp breeze loosened her flaxen waves from her meticulous up-do and blew haphazardly in the wind, sending her sugary blonde bangs in every direction. Fall was intoxicating- she loved the way everyone just seemed to wind down from crazy, party-filled summers and started warming up near the fires with their significant others instead; the explosion of russet, earth-toned color that engulfed Windsor's enormous but quaint campus like in an enchanted forest; the way the bitter autumn wind stained Chris Plovert's cheeks an adorable shade of pink...

Butterflies flitted through her stomach at the memory of their last meeting a few days ago. The two of them had been sitting in the deserted corner of the library, discussing centripetal forces and how to calculate them, when she had zoned out and to regain her attention, Chris had crumpled the notes-covered paper and threw it at her face. This had effectively caused a massive throwing war, with Kristen hiding behind the X to Xi bookshelf tossing pencils and unopened packs of gum and Chris behind a line of chairs, retaliating with more crumpled paper from the nearby recycling bin. It had been the most fun Kristen had had in a while and eventually they were kicked out by the wrinkled, appalled-looking librarian who practically had a seizure when she found them in the midst of battle. Chris had laughed when Kristen pushed him into the pile of leaves outside and they both collapsed onto the Great Lawn, cheeks flushed and flustered smiles on their faces. He had smiled, leaned in close enough for her to see every eyelash on his half-closed eyes, whispered a soft _bye _and walked away, only to turn around and shout, "I want a rematch, Gregory!"

And that was it. The encounter had left her dazed and happy and confused all at once, but she couldn't push the memory out of her mind, no matter how hard she tried.

"Hey Kris!" a cheerful voice said behind her and she whipped around, a smile blooming across her face, but the grin faded slightly when she saw who it was.

"Derrick, hey, what's up?" she said weakly, trying not to let the unexplainable disappointment she felt seep into her voice. "I thought you had soccer practice?"

Her boyfriend of fourteen months jogged towards her, navy and white Letterman Varsity Soccer/Ice Hockey/Lacrosse jacket zipped to the neck and knees an absurd shade of purple from the shorts he insisted on wearing, despite the freezing weather. His dirty blonde hair plastered to his forehead with sweat and his Adidas soccer cleats were grass-stained and untied, but Kristen could practically see the lust and jealousy painted onto every female in the vicinity's face as they watched Windsor's favorite big man on campus run across the lawn (conveniently ignoring the "DO NOT WALK ON THE GRASS" sign) toward her.

"Yeah, I did, but Coach Carr let us out early cuz he had some doctor's appointment," Derrick shrugged noncommittally, catching up to her and casually throwing his arm across her slim shoulders. "But all the better for me... more time with you," He grinned and she felt enormously guilty for... wait, why did she feel guilty? So she was on her way for Physics tutoring with Chris. No big deal.

"That's great, babe," She smiled hesitantly at her boyfriend's eager face, nostalgia flooding through her body as she realized why she fell so hard and fast for him- beyond his looks, there was this adorable child-like eagerness that made her feel like she was five again, getting all weak-kneed for this beautiful, blonde-haired boy who smiled shyly at her under his golden lashes. "But I-" She paused and studied his slightly crestfallen face.

"Come on, K. Let's go to the maple orchard," Derrick urged, and she had to bite her lip to stop herself from squealing. The maple orchard on the far side of campus was her favorite place at Windsor and she hadn't been there since school had started. Seeing Derrick standing there in the wind, smiling down at her in that familiar way that made her feel like a princess in a fairy tale struck a chord in her- nostalgia. And suddenly, nothing was more important to her in that moment than lazing in the maple orchard with Derrick. Her blue-eyed gaze flickered in the direction of the library before slipping her fingers through her boyfriend's calloused ones and walking leisurely toward the orchard. Derrick grinned victoriously and squeezed her hand reassuringly as she glanced back toward the library, feeling a shard of regret when she thought of Chris' disappointed face when he realized she blew him off. But she forced all thoughts of tutoring to the back of her mind. Physics could wait.

_**the selfless saint**_

Her phone buzzed promisingly, indicating a new text. Nikki practically pounced toward it, eagerness taking over her features, expecting it to be Cam, apologizing for his outburst and declaring his deep, passionate love for her. She had played the scene in her head multiple times. He'd text her, asking her to meet him in one of the art rooms where she spent the majority of her time painting and sketching. She'd go and he'd fall to one knee when he saw her, declaring that he broke up with Olivia because she was a cheating whore and not nearly as gorgeous and loving and perfect for him and then they'd embrace and he'd press his luscious lips against hers...

But instead of Cam, it was only Josh.

She sighed, disappointed. Sure she liked Josh- he was nice and all, especially for saving her from Chris Abeley at Claire's penthouse, and sure, he was an excellent kisser... She blushed at the thought. No one knew but Claire and Kemp, but she had only been kissed twice before. Once by her drunk third cousin, Andrew at their aunt's fifth wedding two summers ago- um, ew?- and the second time a quick peck in a game of Spin the Bottle in sixth grade at Kemp's house. It had been with Derrick Harrington, but it was clear by his disgusted face (and the face that he had literally shouted, "Gross, Dalton?" and stared longingly at her best friend) that he'd much rather be kissing Claire who was sitting next to her instead of Nikki in all her braces-covered glory. It had been completely humiliating but Claire had defended her by 'accidentally' spilling her Diet Coke on the crotch of his khaki pants, effectively shutting him up. The point was, an eighth grader probably had more experience with guys than she did, so she had no idea how she had managed to practically jump Josh Hotz (who apparently had a _lot _of experience, if the excited squeals of the gossipy junior girls in the bathroom were any indication). Her face still reddened at the memory and she hastily flipped open her phone to read the text.

_NEW TEXT MESSAGE_

**from: **josh hotz

**to: **nikki dalton

**message: **hey nik.. meet me outside your dorm now? i have a surprise for you :)

Her dark brows furrowed with confusion and she quickly sent back a 'sure, ill see you there' before tossing the phone back onto her bed and sighing. She wasn't sure she felt entirely comfortable with Massie's plan. She didn't like the idea of using Josh like this... it was clear that he had no idea what was going on and had eagerly responded when she had asked him out with Massie urging her the day before. Massie had promised that Josh wouldn't be mad- he would find someone else in no time- and to remember the goal. Getting Cam. She had waited for Cam for ages and if the only way to get him away from his cheating, beautiful girlfriend was to pretend-date Josh and to get Cam jealous, fine.

She pushed away the thought of leaving a train of broken hearts behind her.

_**the exchange student**_

He balled his hands into fists and stuffed them into the pockets of his jeans with a slight shiver, kicking the concrete ground with the toe of his custom-designed Nikes as he leaned against the wall of Benetton House. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't keep that stupid, stupid grin off his face and that nervous excitement from coursing through his veins. He couldn't believe how great this year had been going so far- Nikki Dalton- _the _unattainable Nikki Dalton- had asked him out. Considering the fact that it took him an entire year to just get her _not _to hate him, it seemed almost too good to be true that she had shoved him against the wall for some major lip-action at Claire's party and asked him out within the span of two days- especially with how she blew him off when he offered to give her a ride to the party in favor of Cam effin' Fisher, whipped loser extraordinaire.

"Josh?"

His head jerked up at the sound of her voice and a wide grin broke out unwittingly across his face when he saw her come out of the doorway, face flushed, hair in messy tangles- god, that was sexy- and a navy and white Windsor Varsity Track jacket thrown haphazardly over her cardigan.

"Hey Nik," he greeted warmly. He instinctively reached out for her hand but stopped halfway and regretfully pulled back. Although she didn't realize yet, she scared the shit out of him... she had this sort of vibe of someone who doesn't react well to displays of affection and he didn't want to screw things up by moving too quickly. He was never one for 'taking it slow' but hell, for her, he'd freaking go slower than a turtle zoned out on Xanax if it made her happy.

"Hi," she breathed and an easy smile spread across her face as she, much to his ecstatic shock, slipped her fingers between his own and clasped it tight. "What's this big surprise then?"

"Easy, love. Don't get ahead of yourself," he teased, feeling a burst of confidence as he reached up and tucked a loose strand of silky chestnut hair behind her ear. She blushed and ducked down so her brunette waves covered her face and he couldn't help but stare at how undeniably beautiful she looked at that moment, anxious but excited, and mentally smacked himself for sounding like such a whipped pussy. "Maybe there is no surprise... maybe I just wanted to see you."

"Well then," she exclaimed a scandalized voice, sharply raising an eyebrow (cue dirty thoughts). "I think I must be going. If there is no surprise involved how do you expect to stay here?" she teased back, pulling away gently. He smiled and wrapped his muscular arms around her slender frame, pulling her back toward him.

"Wait, don't go. I do have a surprise, I promise."

"What are we waiting for then?" She smiled up at him, doe-eyes widening with a child-like giddiness that made him grin and pull her even closer toward him. "Onward, knight in shining armor."

"Nikki? Josh?" a voice said uncertainly behind them and the two of them turned to see Cam- _Effing asshole, he ruins everything, _Josh thought mutinously- approaching them with a bewildered expression on his face. Josh felt Nikki instinctively stiffen and pull away slightly from his hold. But he noticed with a hint of confusion that a sudden flash of determination crossed her face and her mouth, which had curled into a stiff pout, soften into a sweet smile.

"Hey Cam," Nikki carelessly draped her arm around Josh's waist and leaned toward him, all the while, a hint of a smirk playing at her mouth as Cam's dual-colored eyes widened and looked utterly flummoxed.

"Hey Nik... uh, so, you're with Josh now, huh?" Cam asked, sounding like a combination of pissed-off, confused, bitter, and just plain dazed when he saw the way Josh's arm wrapped protectively around her slim shoulders. Josh smirked victoriously, masking it with a bored and 'over-this' expression. Finally, Cam would get the message that yes, Nikki Dalton was taken and could not be seduced by those stupid eyes that resembled those of a retarded husky.

"Yeah we are," Nikki said simply but glanced up at Josh with an unusually flirtatious glint in her deep brown eyes. Cam opened his mouth and closed it again, creases forming between his dark brows as his gaze darted between the two of them, looking more and more strained.

"Oh. Well... that's cool. I mean, I'm happy for you guys," he managed to get out- _Like hell you are_, Josh thought savagely- and ran a hand through his hair. "I mean, yeah. Cool. Uh, yeah. I, um, was just going to find Livs... and I'll, uh, get out of your way. Nikki, I just- well, never mind. I'll see you guys later," Cam finished finally, mustering up a weak smile that caused a strange smile to spread across Nikki's face that didn't go unnoticed by Josh. He shook it off.

"Bye, Cam! See you at breakfast," Nikki chirped and immediately turned to Josh and brushed her lips against his smooth cheek in a chaste kiss as Cam winced and started to walk away. "Now, Josh, what's this surprise you wanted to show me?"

_**the new girl**_

"So now Kristen expects me to go out on a date with this guy and Todd is going to be there and it's getting harder and harder to not get caught and I have no idea what to do," Dylan finished, flopping onto Claire's unkempt turquoise and pale gold spangled Vera Wang bedspread with a groan.

"Which guy?" Claire asked from her yoga pose on the carpeted floor. Her arms were up in the air and one leg rested on the knee of the other to create a perfectly balanced tree position while Jason Mraz's "Love for a Child" played softly from the iHome, creating a passive, mellow atmosphere perfect for her yoga.

"Um, Chris Plovert I think?"

"Facebook time!" Claire dropped her arms from her pose and strode toward her desk and plopped onto her comfy turquoise plush swivel office chair before logging onto her Macbook Air. Dylan stood and stretched before making her way toward the desk and balanced gingerly on the handle of the chair. "Let's see.. Christopher... Plovert. Aha! Ooh, he's a cutie," Claire exclaimed, arching a golden brow with a an appreciative smirk. Dylan wondered how it was possible for Claire to even look at other guys when she had Kemp, devastatingly gorgeous in every way, shape and form Kemp, in the palm of her perfectly moisturized hands, but she glanced anyway at the screen to see an admittedly cute Jonathan Rhys Meyers look-alike, only with spiky-ish blonde hair and startlingly blue eyes hidden behind a pair of black tortoise-shell glasses. Definitely cute, but nothing compared to Todd. "I dunno, Dyl. Maybe you should give this guy a chance. He looks adorable. Oh my god, interests include math team, chemistry team, physics olympiad, chess club... sounds absolutely thrilling. You guys would be perfect together."

"Shut up!" Dylan pretended to look angry and smacked the side of Claire's obnoxiously perfect blonde head. Claire laughed, then abruptly stopped and a wicked grin spread across her face as she caught sight of something.

"Holy crap. Do you see what I see?" Claire whispered, awestruck, staring out the window.

"No..." Dylan craned her neck to see. In a flash, Claire rose, ran to the stained glass French-paneled windows, threw them open and screamed,

"Christopher Plovert!"

Dylan squeaked and ran to the window beside her to see the same boy who was on their computer screen staring up at the two of them from the front of the dorm in confusion and embarrassment.

"Uh, yeah?" The blonde boy shouted back, rubbing the back of his neck anxiously as his face reddened at the fact that he was being addressed by Windsor's resident partying goddess and shuffling his Converse-clad feet.

"Are you looking for anyone?" Claire asked, her tone instantly melting into a seductive, 'come-hither' tone that could rival even Kathryn Merteuil's from _Cruel Intentions. _Her sun-kissed blonde waves practically sparkled in the sunlight like spun gold and Dylan marveled at Chris' ability to not collapse from the radiance.

"Uh, Kristen Gregory actually," He stuffed his fists into his jean pockets with a sheepish look on his face. "Do either of you know where she is?"

"I think she's with Derrick right now," Claire responded, leaning on her elbows on the window sill, tilting her head to the side to look even more like an ethereal princess transported from some fairy tale or another. "But I mean, you're totally free to come up and hang with me and Dyl until she comes back. I insist. Besides, she should be back any second now."

"Uh..." he hesitated, face flushed a deep shade of red, and ran a hand through his slightly spiky blonde hair. "I dunno. I mean, yeah, sure, why not?"

Claire dropped her eyelid into a naughty wink before grabbing Dylan's arm and shaking it vigorously.

"Come on, let's let him in," she smirked and the two of them ran out of the room and down the elaborate spiral staircase to the foyer. When they pulled open the door, Chris shuffled in, an awkward smile twisting onto his face. "Hello Chris, I'm Claire Lyons," Claire introduced herself, holding out a perfectly tanned hand to shake.

"Yeah, I know," he blurted and she arched a golden brow and smirked. "But, uh, I'm sorry, I don't think we've met," He averted his startlingly blue eyes to meet Dylan's jade orbs.

"Dylan Marvil," She smiled shyly and absently tucked a strand of auburn hair behind her freckled ear. He was so cute. Suddenly Claire sharply jabbed her elbow into Dylan's side causing her to yelp and fall forward, directly into Chris' arms. The movement caught him off-guard and the two of them went sprawling onto the floor.

"Dylan? Chris? What are guys doing?" Kristen's confused and slightly angry voice came from the doorway and the two of them glanced up to see Kristen, Derrick and Todd standing beside them, staring at the way Dylan's lithe body was lying on top of Chris's, her hair slightly messy and her tiny Juicy Couture tank riding up slightly from the fall.

Kristen looked torn between strangely upset and downright furious; Derrick just looked confused and slightly amused by their compromising position; while Todd just looked angry.

"I'll see you guys later," he mumbled under his breath and turned abruptly to leave.

* * *

gahh, that chapter sucked. so so so badly. i'm so sorry.


	12. causenothing'swhatyougotinyourhead

a bit on the shorter side, but please don't be mad.

* * *

**_the it girl _**

_What was the point of being the most beautiful girl in the room if everyone's too scared to talk to you?_ Claire mused, sipping the mimosa hidden in her coffee cup, folding her long, gazelle legs under her with a sigh. She was sitting in La Petite Boulangerie- more commonly known as "the little bakery" to the majority of the student body- the eco-friendly, Starbucks-et-Panera Bread-esque coffee shop and cafe located snugly in the heart of Windsor's campus. It wasn't unusual to see frazzled editors of _In The Mix, _Windsor's bi-weekly diversity magazine, crushed into the plush, velvet booths, typing frantically on their Macbook Air to meet their deadlines while consuming copious amounts of caffeine; or the drama department mini-celebrities who won all the leads in _West Side Story _and _Rent _breeze through the door after rehearsal, candy-colored Longchamp _Le Pliange _totes swinging from their toned arms; or the international students that just dripped worldly sophistication while dangling their French-imported cigarettes from their slender fingers and drawling snidely in rapid Italian, Japanese or Hindi. The average nobody would occasionally step tentatively through the doors, but upon catching sight of the undeniable aura of _better than you _that permeated the warm, caramel-and-caffeine-scented atmosphere, they would quickly retreat. You had to be _someone _to even dare to order a triple espresso with a mocha shot so needless to say, Claire Lyons was right at home.

She sighed again and tucked a sun-soaked strand of hair behind her ear. She was reading _The Canterbury Tales _for Advanced Placement English Literature on the coveted alcove, reserved specifically for her- well, not really, but no one was stupid enough to try to sit there, even when she wasn't around. It was situated in a cozy corner of the bakery, lined with soft, emerald and gold embroidered velvet cushions and just far enough to hold a private conversation. The real reason it was so coveted though, was the fact that it was the ideal spot to see and, more importantly, be seen. Under the soft glow of the artist loft-inspired lights and unobstructed by any glossy maple wood tables, one would always find their eyes drawn to the alcove and wondering with an intense surge of envy and curiosity _what in the world _she was thinking about, looking like a fallen angel, even in over-sized Michael Kor's emerald cashmere sweaters from the men's department and destroyed 7 For All Mankind ultra-dark skinny jeans.

But today, Claire was not in the mood for any of that. Normally, she was joined at the hip with Kemp or Nikki, but Nikki was out with Josh and Kemp had to work on his term paper for Econ. Todd was being a bitch, complaining about the hilariously compromising position he had caught Dylan and that Chris kid. She decided not to mention the fact that she had been the one who accidentally elbowed Dylan, causing them to tumble to the floor at the exact moment Todd walked in. Whatever. He'd get over it. The current problem was that she was alone. And Claire Lyons was never supposed to be alone. It was a law of nature. Everyone in La Petite Boulangerie was glancing at her from the corner of their MAC mascara-lacquered eyes or vintage Ray-Bans, but despite the fact that nearly all of the most popular students on campus were present, none were confident enough to approach her.

"Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! For I never saw true beauty till this night," a voice drawled lazily behind her and her lips curved into a smirk before turning to see the speaker.

"Why hello, Mr. Harrington," She arched a golden brow and scooted over to let Derrick, who was grasping a mug of Earl Grey in one hand and a large double fudge brownie in the other, slide into the cushions beside her. "I see you've taken my preferential flirting tactics into consideration. Shakespeare? Not bad..."

"Well, I trust your judgment. If it impresses you, it'll impress anyone," he laughed, winking and that strange butterfly effect went crazy in the pit of her stomach. Why was this happening? Screw being alone- if anything, Claire Lyons _did not get butterflies. _She effing caused them.

"A truer word has never been spoken," she said seriously, subconsciously letting her body lean into his and letting a manicured hand drift to grasp a taut, muscular forearm. His breath grew shallow at her touch and she felt a strange sort of silence settle over them. This sort of casual flirting was normal between them- hell, she flirted with everyone- it just came naturally. Then why did it feel so different right now?

"Do you want some?" he offered softly, holding out the brownie. He broke off a piece and his hand moved uncertainly toward her lips. She opened her mouth and took a bite, her tongue savoring the euphoric sweetness of the chocolate and she licked her lips slowly. He grinned, but it looked strained as he tucked a stray strand of golden hair that had fallen out of her messy bun behind her ear silently.

Why, why, why was the room getting hotter? Why did Derrick have to look so effing tan and sweaty and bangable at that moment? Why was he holding her waist so tightly? Why was he close enough for her to _feel _his breath as he whispered, _Claire, I need you_ in that sweet, sweet voice? And why did she lean in and close that distance between their lips?

Something electric was triggered in her veins and she let herself melt in the scorching heat of his touch. They molded into each other like they were created that way and suddenly, there was no space anymore- his hands grasped at her with a wild sort of urgency and her slender fingers tangle in his slightly sweaty dirty blonde locks and she felt a small moan in the back of her throat. His aggressive hands moved everywhere- her waist, her arms, the nape of her neck and she could hardly breathe because _god, _Derrick kissed far too well and she felt a surge of fire engulf all other senses.

"Wait," she gasped and pulled away from his embrace, her mind unusually blank and clear. He simply stared and there was a wild hunger and longing reflected in his deep eyes. "Come on, we're leaving," She grabbed his hand and swiftly dragged him out the door, undoubtedly to the nearest empty classroom.

Too bad they were too distracted with each other to notice a certain amber-eyed brunette smirking and snapping a picture with her LG Chocolate.

**_the unattainable_**

"Oh, hey dude," Josh's deep voice said casually behind him and he turned to see Josh and Nikki walking leisurely down the cobblestone pathway in front of Benetton House toward him- his arm thrown casually over her shoulders and her arm snaked around his waist. "What's up?"

"Eh, not much," He shrugged as he stuffed his fists into the pockets of his low-rise Diesel jeans, glancing at the clearly lovestruck couple with a sigh. He couldn't restrain that burning jealousy from coursing through his body and strangling him in a choke hold. Not because of Nikki and Josh- hell, he knew more than anyone how much Josh liked Nikki and he was definitely happy for them. But while Josh got to wander around campus with the girl of his dreams- getting to kiss her in full sight of everyone, PDA be damned, getting to hold her hand and do whatever the hell he wanted, Todd was restrained to sneaking around in empty classrooms and late night rendezvous; which was sexy and all but got pretty freaking tiring after a while. And on top of all of that, he finds Dylan, funny, gorgeous, perfect Dylan- _his _Dylan- literally on top of some blonde kid Todd vaguely recognized as the really smart dude in his Chem class in tenth grade. She was probably sick of all the sneaking around too and made the smart move and decided to go for a guy who actually would be able to take her out on a date without worrying about his psycho half-sister maiming them halfway through.

He knew he was being too damn selfish. Dylan was much too beautiful and bubbly and social to want to stay involved in a clandestine relationship. But that didn't stop him from feeling the overwhelming urge to punch the lights out of that stupid blonde guy who was all over her.

"Todd, are you okay?" Nikki's concerned voice brought him out of his jealousy-induced reverie and he smiled weakly.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," He waved them off and kicked the ground sheepishly with his Adidas-covered foot. "I just, uh, gotta go do something. I'll catch you guys later."

Josh and Nikki gave him confused and slightly anxious looks before shrugging.

"Alright, then. See you later, man," Josh mumbled, furrowing his dark brows with a hint of worry.

"Hope you feel better, Toddy-kins," Nikki teased but uncertainty clouded her dark eyes. Her mouth curved into a warm, supportive smile and they waved before continuing on their way.

Todd watched them leave, then groaned and sat on the ground, not caring that he was in the middle of the walkway and that some people were giving him strange stares. He whipped out his iPhone and stared at the screen, juggling the phone between his hands before hesitantly opening up Messages.

Slowly he typed out a text to Dylan and his fingers hovered nervously over the SEND button. What was more important? His happiness or Dylan's? The answer was clear.

He hit send and was immediately filled with a nauseating sense of dread.

For god's sake, someone get this boy a drink.

**_the drama parasite_**

She has always wanted to see Kristen Gregory crash and burn from that glittering throne she had created for herself at this school. Or better yet, be the one to _make _her crash and burn. And now the way to make it happen was right in her hands. The whole incest mass text was just a taste- the beloved queen bee was going to get it- Block-style. All it took was one worker bee to step out of line and all hell would break loose in the hive. And when that worker bee happened to be the queen's delicious drone? She would redefine the word 'chaos' with one click. In one move, four social lives could go up in flames: Kristen, who would just _die _if word got out that her oh-so-faithful boyfriend and lover cheated on her; Derrick, who would be branded douche bag of the year and cheating asshole to boot; Claire, who, despite being a total public whore about dumping and getting with new guys, would kill her relationship with her best friend and current boyfriend, Kemp; and of course, Kemp himself who would just be devastated that his first legit girlfriend whom he actually _cared _about cheated on him. Lovely. But how, how, how to reveal this scandalous gossip? The possibilities were endless.

Mass texts were so yesterday. So were public announcements during school-wide events.

A wolfish smirk grew across her face as a new idea hit her.

Blackmail.

Massie wasn't really a blackmail type normally, but it seemed like a perfect combination of manipulating people she would normally have no power over while being provided endless entertainment; and maybe she could even score a few of Claire's custom-made jewel-toned sapphire and ruby-colored Vera Wang ballgowns that Vera herself had designed and given her as a gift when she modeled for Vogue or some of those impossible-to-find Poison Apple Yves St. Laurent lip markers courtesy of Kristen out of the deal. Even Derrick, who was pretty useless otherwise, could convince Josh that Massie was perfect for him. The plan was too perfect to resist. Of course, the goodies were just the tip of the ice burg. _Everyone _listened to Claire, Kristen and Derrick. Between the three of them, there was enough power to control almost the entire student body. They would be like marionettes on her string and she could do whatever she wanted. Anything.

She figured it would be a tad bit strange if she let out some major maniacal laughter in the middle of La Petite Boulangerie, so she contented herself with a little malicious giggle instead.

God, power was intoxicating.

**_the new girl _**

"Just a small town girl, livin' in a lonely world... Took the midnight train goin' anywhere..."

"Just a city boy, born and raised in south Detroit... Took the midnight train goin' anywhere..."

Dylan and Nikki belted out the lyrics to Journey's _Don't Stop Believing _along with the Rachel, Finn and the rest of the Glee cast who were romping across the stage in those matching, public school-chic red t-shirts and jeans.

"Is it just me, or does Finn look completely bangable right now?" Dylan asked, stuffing caramel popcorn into her mouth as the two of them hopped and twirled around the room, lip-syncing with boar-bristle hair brushes as microphones as the cheery, overly-perky members of New Directions frolicked across the television screen.

"No, Finn looks completely bangable," Nikki nodded in assent, a dreamy look crossing her face before she blushed. "But hey, we already have guys, so should we really be having these dirty fantasies about Cory Monteith?"

"Please," Dylan waved her off and collapsed onto the lime-green bedspread as the number ended and the Pilot episode continued. "As if Josh and Todd don't have their own dirty thoughts about... oh, I dunno, Megan Fox or Alessandra Ambrosio and hoard a secret stash of their Uncle Fred's Playboys. Just cuz we're taken doesn't mean we can't look, right?"

"Right," Nikki giggled and the two of them quietly chewed on their caramel popcorn and M&M snack while watching the rest of _Glee._

Suddenly Dylan's phone buzzed with a new text and she glanced at the screen, instantly feeling giddy when she saw Todd's name flashing across the screen.

"Speak of the devil," Dylan smirked and Nikki chuckled knowingly from the plush alabaster carpet, eyes glued to the television screen.

**from**: todd lyons

**to**: dylan marvil

**message**: i don't think we should see each other anymore

She inhaled a sharp intake of breath, eyes watering as though triggered and her Cloud Nine-mood instantly dipped into horrified confusion. Did he just... break up with her? What did she do wrong? Did she make him upset? It didn't even matter why- she instantly dissolved into tears and barely noticing as Nikki jumped up, concerned, wrapped her thin arms around her and asked her tenderly _what's wrong_, _what happened_ and _please don't cry, Dyl_. She threw her phone at the ground weakly and Nikki immediately retrieved it and read the message, eyes darkening to an ominous shade of black. She quickly returned to Dylan's side and absently rubbed circles on her shaking back, repeating like a mantra, _he's not worth it, he's an idiot, he has no idea how freaking lucky he was to have you. _

Dylan simply blew her nose on the tissues she grabbed from the box beside her table and took shaky breaths, but it didn't stop the tears from spilling from her emerald-green eyes.

_No boy is worth your tears, and when you find one that is, he won't make you cry, _Merri-Lee had said soothingly in one of her rare motherly moments when Dylan had come home sobbing that Landon Crane- the uber-cute boy in her third grade class with inky black hair and blue eyes that made her innocent heart jump into her throat- laughed at her when she admitted she had a crush on him.

If that was true, then why did it hurt so badly?

* * *

R to the E to the V to the I to the E to the W.


	13. so stop pretending

I know you thought I was dead.

I guess I kinda was drowning in the ridiculous workload that is Junior Year, Spring Term. Bite me, biatch.

Anyway, so sorry for the long wait. Hope you guys haven't given up on the story yet :)

On a happier note... SUMMER VACATIONNNNNNNNNN!

* * *

**_the tall, dark and handsome_**

_Hello love, you've reached Claire's- ow! Kemp, give me my phone, you jerk-off! No, don't talk into that- Hello, this is Kemp Hurley and Claire Lyons is currently occupied, probably having hot, steamy- Yo, Nik, give it back- I wasn't done! Hey, whoever this is! You have reached Claire's best friend ever, Nikki Dalton and I'd like to inform you that the fabulous Ms. Lyons is much too busy making out with her loser boyfriend to take your call right now. If you leave a message, she might get back to you. Which probably means she won't, so don't even bother. Have a nice day! _BEEP.

"Hey, I know you're not making out with me right now, so I'm not sure what you are doing. Listen, I really need to talk to you. Call me back, alright?"

Kemp sighed and leaned against the wall of the gym, chest still heaving slightly from his daily 90-minute run on the treadmill. The gym was much more crowded than usual and he inwardly cringed, realizing that his fan club (aptly named 'The Hurley-Stalkers' group on Facebook) realized, only two days into the fall term, that those crazy-ass group of sophomores and juniors who snapped pictures of him with their high-quality pixelated cell phone cameras while he was walking to class had figured out his work-out schedule. Shit.

"Hey, Kemp," a voice said confidently behind him and he rolled his eyes, preparing to see one of those obsessed girls with his face on a t-shirt with a 'Will You Marry Me?' plastered on top (cue bad memories of sophomore year). But instead, he turned to see Carrie Randolph, that cool chick from his Photography class last year, approaching him. He had ignored her for the majority of the year but then they had been paired up to work on this "montage to accentuate the conflicting natures of love and lust through still motion". She was pretty chill and they wasted much more time debating over their favorite contemporary photographers (hers was Gustavo Aguerre and his was Ryan McGinley) instead of the actual project. He thought that Aguerre was much too cubic and uninspired to which she scathingly responded _Oh, because capturing a naked woman with her chest flapping out in the wind while she falls to her imminent death on camera is so much more artistic, right? _He had replied with a simple _Duh, _and the argument flared from there. Probably the most intellectual debate he had with a fellow student all year- except with Nikki over middle-age English literature. Carrie was more or less cool. At least compared to the girls who, despite being geniuses in the classroom, restricted their conversations at meals and whatnot to Waverly's thunder thighs or Kara's slutty three-some at the club last weekend.

She yanked out the black elastic band holding up her hair and shook out her wispy chestnut waves, brushing the bangs away from her warm hazel eyes. A pair of gray Soffe shorts hugged her soccer-toned thighs and her white "Hamptons Life Guard" tank was riding up slightly, allowing just a hint of toasted almond midriff to show. Needless to say she was pretty- beautiful, even- but she had been literally married to that Danny Robbins kid since freshman year according to Massie, who always knew way too much about other people's personal lives.

"Carrie," He gave her a curt nod but didn't spare her a smile because well... just because. He didn't smile at just anybody. It tended to give the wrong message- like he actually enjoyed their presence or something. Which, except with Claire, Nikki and Todd and on occasion, Josh or Derrick, was rarely the case. He knew it was kinda douchebag-ish but he honestly didn't see the point of fake-smiling his way through conversations with people who irritated the hell out of you. That was Kristen's job. Besides, it was so much easier to just sit back and watch. It kept him out of unnecessary drama.

"Always the verbal raconteur, Hurley. Your prowess in the field of witty colloquy is astounding," she replied smoothly, a teasing glint in her gold-specked, hazel eyes. He raised his dark brows and smirked. He was always a sucker for the feisty, sarcastic ones. Hearing a girl who was not afraid to call you out on your shit? Hot.

"I've missed you too, Randolph," he said, taking a swing from his water bottle and allowing his eyes to rove appreciatively across her lithe figure. "You look good."

"Flattery gets you nowhere," she drawled, but it sounded much more sexy coming from her than some of those girls who tried to drawl. And you know, just sounded drunk. "But thanks anyway. How was your summer?"

"Eh. Not bad. I was up in the Hamptons with the Lyons', actually. Didn't see you there," he commented, glancing at her tank and throwing on his faded Canadian Olympic team hockey jersey over his sweat-soaked Nike muscle t-shirt.

"I was life-guarding on the beach, like everyday. But you were probably too busy with the blonde and beautiful, right?" she teased and leaned against the wall beside him, running a slender hand through her hair.

"Probably," he shrugged noncommittally and slung his gym bag across his shoulder. "How about you? You and uh, Danny still together?"

"Actually no," She hesitated and Kemp noticed the way her hazel eyes darkened to a deep shade of umber at the mention of her (ex?) boyfriend's name. "You have your friend Olivia Ryan to thank for that one."

"Olivia? Nah, I hate her. Sorry to hear about Danny though," he paused and there was a brief silence in which she glared at the rowers on the erging machines and forced a smile, which came out more like a grimace.

"He's not worth it," she said finally and he stared at her, impressed. He had seen his fair share of crazy hormonal girls after their boyfriends cheated on them and Carrie, especially considering how long their relationship had lasted, was handling the situation ridiculously well. He wasn't sure where the next words that spilled out of mouth came from, but strangely enough, he didn't regret them.

"You wanna hang out sometime?" he offered and she glanced up at him, startled, before allowing a slow, genuine smile to spread across her face.

"I'd like that."

**_the devil incarnate_**

"So I was like, um, no way, because my skirt probably cost more than your yearly salary and, like..." Olivia babbled but trailed off when she noticed her boyfriend's distant expression. "Uh, hello? Cuh-am? Are you even paying attention?"

"Uh..." Cam responded faintly, blue-and-green eyes looking unfocused and glazed over as he stared out the window of Commons.

"Cam!" she hissed and dug her pearly pink nails into his forearm. He let out a tiny yelp and looked at his girlfriend like he had just noticed that she was there.

"Sorry, Liv. Just a little out of it today. What were you saying?" he apologized and offered up a weak smile to which Olivia narrowed her cornflower-blue eyes suspiciously.

"Is there something else more _important_ that's on your mind?" she asked sweetly, carefully masking the slow rage that was bubbling up inside of her. Cam had been uncharacteristically quiet and inattentive the entire day and it was frustrating the hell out of her. Cam was always- always always always- supposed to listen to her daily bitching about how her AP Latin teacher and provide sympathy (and a steamy make-out afterward). So why wasn't he?

"You know that there's nothing more important to me than you, Livs," he said softly, eyes reflecting nothing but trust, and Olivia felt herself melt a little inside. She loved Cam, she really did. He was just so suffocating sometimes though. Too thoughtful, too sweet, too caring. It made her feel even worse about herself- an overwhelming sense of regret and guilt and anger that painfully engulfed her entire body and made her feel like the most downright evil creature in the world. Which was why she cheated on him. She wanted to cause him pain to make up for the agony he was unconsciously causing her. But at the same time, she was too selfish to let him go. And there was no way she'd give up the sick pleasure she got from knowingly hooking up with other guys.

"I know you do, Cam. I love you," she blurted and felt the familiar sinking feeling in her abdomen when Cam's face visibly lit up and a wide, exhilarated grin broke across it. It never made sense to her why he loved her so much. She didn't deserve it but he really loved to hear those words coming from her. Why, though?

"I love you too," he whispered, leaning across the table to capture her lips in a light, tender kiss. "God, I love you so much."

"I... I know."

God, she was a bitch.

**_the big man on campus _**

He just had the best and worst experience of his life and didn't know what to make of it.

So what better way to deal with it than a beat-up-your-body-till-you-can-barely-move workout in the gym? The heavy, pulsing beat of Kevin Rudolf's "Let It Rock" blared from the built-in speakers as his muscles flexed and pounded when he threw a violent, angry uppercut at the punching bag, sending the heavy, sand-filled bag ricocheting off the metal chains it hung from. He punched again with even more force, his bruised knuckles feeling stiff with pain as he replayed the events of the last three hours in his head again.

He had been on the warm, carpeted floor of the Economics classroom, Claire's lithe body curled into his like they were meant to fit together. Her tan arm, glistening with a thin sheen of sweat, felt warm and heavy against his bare chest, which rose up and down rhythmically as he breathed in and out. In and out. He didn't think he had seen anything more beautiful in his life than her at that moment, gold waves splayed against her bronzed skin in wild tangles, the delicacy of the lashes that framed her ocean-blue eyes, the bare shimmer that made her tawny body glow like there was this warm flame lighting her up from the inside. His fingers entangled in her hair, twisting them absently around and around and he couldn't keep his eyes off every inch of her, which had finally, finally been his for the taking, after some incredible, mind-blowing sex on the floor of the Econ classroom.

He could've stayed in that position forever- there had never been a moment where he had felt so exhilirated, breathless and _free_- but the moment abruptly ended when she rapidly disentangled herself from his grasp and wordlessly began pulling on her bra and panties, refusing to meet his eyes.

"Wait, where are you going?" he had asked, panicked, rising from his comfortable position and staring at her as she quickly shimmied into her jeans and sweater.

"This never happened," she said without a trace of emotion, finally meeting his stare with a cold, calculating look. "This meant nothing. I just..." He saw her falter and look uncertain for a moment before hardening again and pursing her lips, which, bruised from kissing, looked pale and chapped.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know why I did that with you, Derrick," she sighed, rising and looking at him sympathetically. "We both have people we care about. You have Kristen and I have Kemp. This would be too hurtful. So, just pretend it never happened, okay?"

"No, I can't do that," he responded fervently, grabbing her hand. "We have something, we really do. Hell... I-I love you, Claire. And I'm willing to give up anything to make this work."

"But you see, Derrick, I don't love you," Ouch. "I care about Kemp too much. He means the world to me. More than the world, actually. And nothing will change that. Ever."

"You said you care about him... caring isn't the same as loving. Do you love him?"

There was a pause and the tension in the air was too much for a suspension bridge to handle.

"Yes."

That one word felt like a sharp stab to his chest. If a heart breaks in a room with no chance of being fixed, does it make a difference?

"But... I thought we'd be good together- you and me," he said weakly as she made her way to the door. Her hand froze on the door knob but she didn't bother turning.

"No, I'd break your heart."

"Well, maybe I'd break yours," he argued weakly and she turned, a pitying, sad smile playing at her mouth.

"Nobody breaks my heart."

And with that, she walked out, closing the door gently behind her.

Which led to why he was currently punching and kicking the hell out of the punching bag, which creaked and groaned against the rusty metal chains. Letting out a deep growl, he mustered all his remaining energy and whacked the bag with all his might, sending it ricocheting off the chains with a sickening _crack _and to the floor with a heavy _thump. _

"Someone has anger management issues..." a voice taunted lazily behind him and he whipped around to see Massie Block in all her royal purple-spandexed glory, standing at the doorway to the empty kickboxing room with a small smirk playing at her crimson-tinted mouth. Frowning, he flipped her off and glared but that only caused her smirk to widen. "Tut, tut, Harrington. Someone also needs some common etiquette lessons. I'm sure you'll be rethinking that clumsy slip of the finger when you hear my proposition."

"What the fuck do you want, Block?" he growled, turning away from her to grab his water bottle from the floor and taking a swing, letting the water trickle past his mouth and down his jaw. Massie just smiled slowly, an irritating air of smugness and power radiating from her sweat-free face, as she closed the door behind her with a soft _click _and made her way across the room toward him.

"Listen, I'm going to cut to the chase," she began, stopping a foot away and staring up at his face with a look of determination. "You are my slave. Literally. Because I happen to have pictures saved in 32 different locations across campus of you and Ms. Lyons making out in The Little Bakery after school today. Don't trust me? I don't blame you. But here's the proof," she said smoothly, tossing a polaroid of the two blondes grasping at each other hungrily, attached by the lips and crushed into the tiny alcove in the corner of La Petite Boulangerie. He couldn't help but grinning a little at how effing hot they looked together before reality came crashing down.

"Wait... did you just say I was your slave? Block, are you... blackmailing me?" he asked disbelievingly, a nauseating sense of dread creeping up in his abdomen as the picture dropped to the ground. She rolled her amber eyes in response and sighed impatiently.

"Wow, looks like you're not as much of a dumbass as I thought. Yes Harrington, I am blackmailing you. Go ahead and rip up that picture if you want," she added, eyes flickering to the way his hand instinctively twitched violently toward the polaroid. "I still have 31 more. And some are electronic, so don't even try going on some scavenger hunt to look for them. Here's the deal. You do as I tell you, and you get to stay alive for another day. As in, I will not show dear Kristen the incriminating evidence and you will not get castrated. As you can tell, you have no choice," she said, cutting him off abruptly as he opened his mouth to protest. "I hold all the cards in this one, D. And if you want to survive, you had better just shut up and listen, mkay?"

"Okay," he felt himself say hoarsely, silently cursing his terrible luck. His life was in the hands of the Devil. This could not end well.

**_the new girl_**

"Dylan... are you okay?"

Kristen's concerned voice floated above the mass of sheets she had thrown over herself in an attempt to cacoon herself and hibernate till graduation. She merely let out a small whimper and poked her sweaty head out to catch sight of her roommate's worried expression; her blonde brows furrowed in confusion and aqua eyes clouded with doubt.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why do you ask?" she responded weakly, to which Kristen's expression melted into one of sympathy and the daintily sat at the edge of the bed, absently stroking circles onto her back. This was the first time her roommate had actually gone out of her way to do something nice for her and the action was a pleasant surprise.

"You look like shit," Kristen responded bluntly and the tender, roommate-bonding moment was over.

"Gee, thanks," Dylan mumbled sarcastically and pulled the covers over her head again.

"I was kidding, okay?" Kristen laughed, yanking the sheets off to reveal Dylan's sweaty, slightly puffy face. "Um, well, I was _mostly _kidding," she added uncertainly to which Dylan stuck out her tongue childishly and frowned. "Just tell me what's wrong and we'll try to fix it, okay?"

"I..." Dylan paused and ran her tongue across her chapped lips with a sigh. She wished so badly that she could just tell the truth to Kristen, who looked like the epitome of a caring, compassionate therapist as she watched Dylan carefully with deep, ocean-blue eyes. As if that would ever happen. "I just feel kinda homesick. Upstate New York is worlds apart from L.A.," she lied easily, struggling to supress the crack in her voice as she thought of Todd's stupid, adorable face. Kristen smiled sympathetically and gently pushed a stray curl from Dylan's face and tucked it behind her ear.

"I know what you mean. I mean, I live in New York City and have been going to Windsor since freshman year and I still get homesick. Not for my mom or anything," she said bitterly, rolling her eyes and Dylan felt a wave of sympathy; after all, she knew more than anyone else how it felt to have a neglecting mother. "But for my Pomeranian, Arya. I've had her since I was five," Kristen finished wistfully, staring off at the wall. "I know it's kinda pathetic, but I told her everything. See... I never really had any close friends or siblings except for Claire and Todd... but they actually have a mom who cares about them, even if she spends most of her time strutting down runways in Milan. And I know Dad likes Claire better," she added with a sad smile. "Everyone likes Claire better. It kinda sucks."

"I know the feeling," Dylan blurted quickly then stopped. Well, she kind of did. Not so much the sibling rivalry but the broken households. "My parents divorced ages ago and my dad's living in Australia in this, like, perfect suburbia family with two and a half kids, a dog named Buddy and this scarily nice and gorgeous blonde wife who bakes brownies for the kids afterschool. No joke. I thought things like that didn't exist anymore. And here I am, switching schools and homes every couple of months to keep up with my mom's "career" even though she could totally afford to just settle down for a while."

"Maybe she's scared," Kristen shrugged, tilting her head to the side thoughtfully. "She could be an escapist. You know, running away from your problems? Maybe settling down reminds her of the life she used to have and she needs to be in constant motion to distract her from what could have been."

Dylan was speechless. Even though it was much easier to just pin the blame on her flighty mother, Kristen had thrown things into a sharp perspective. It made complete sense... her mom was determined not to think about her first failed marriage and just wanted to throw everything she had into work and her career. Even so, she could still spend a little more time with her...

"I... I guess you're right," she said finally, furrowing her eyebrows. "I mean, yeah. That... that makes sense."

"I know I'm right. I'm always right," Kristen grinned and tossed her hair over her shoulders. "Now listen up, girlie. You are going to get out of this funk and I'm going to help you. You are going to go shopping with me Friday after classes, we're going to find a kickass, sexy dress and we're going out to dinner Saturday with Chris and Derrick. Get your mind off things. I'm going to go shower, but we'll talk later, 'kay?"

"Sounds good," Dylan actually smiled for the first time in a few hours. Kristen gave her a small half-smile and whisked out the door with her metallic pink and silver wicker-basket of Bumble&Bumble shampoo and conditioner, Dove lavender-scented soap collection and Ralph Lauren towel. When the door shut behind her, Dylan reached over to the sidetable and grabbed her phone, feeling a rejuvenating sense of confidence.

**from:** Dylan Marvil

**to: **Chris Plovert **  
**

**message: **Hey want to grab some ice cream w/me tmrw? And maybe something a little... hotter afterwards?

Within seconds there was a response.

**from:** Chris Plovert

**to:** Dylan Marvil

**message**: I'd love to ;)

* * *

FINALLY. Please review. I'll update much much sooner if you do, I promise :)


	14. shut up 'cause we won't stop

**Sorry I took so long to update. Thank you all so much- especially my new readers (iloveyou123, Girly . x . Girl, ThePeregrine, a little destruction) and of course, my most awesomely awesome followers of this story (Sydney, Maddie, Dani, Maya, Maggie- both of you; sparkling skies and GLITTERXGURL- Luffely, aznbamf, soccergrrl62, Akiracatalina and all you other amazingly amazing people- you know who you are ;D). Your reviews make me smile like a six-year-old who just inhaled down twenty Pixie Stix =)**

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* * *

****_the queen bee _**

"Derrick. Derrick, darling. Please, I don't quite understand. You'll have to explain it again. Why on earth would you drag me to something as juvenile, pathetic and completely idiotic as," She paused for dramatic effect, disgust evident on her features. "_Karaoke Night?_" She shuddered, as though the mere thought was enough to want to jump off a cliff with sharp, jagged boulders waiting at the bottom. Which it kind of was.

"Uh..." Derrick rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly and Kristen sighed. She prided herself on having the best of everything- grades, clothes, future- but when it came to her boyfriend, hot as he may be, he was not exactly the brightest bulb. Especially when it came to lying to her. But she decided to humor him.

"Derrick, I'm waiting," She pasted on a weary smile, hiding her impatience. Dylan watched the spectacle from the sidelines with a bemused, wide-eyed gaze, trying not to giggle at Windsor's golden couple arguing over something as inane as Karaoke Night.

"Uh, well. Massie wanted to go?" Derrick said, making it sound like a question.

"Why the hell would I care about what Massie wanted? Correction- why would _you _care?" she spat bitterly, rolling her eyes. Okay, so maybe she wasn't the best at everything. Massie was, though she hated to admit it, a fantastic singer. She had that smooth, sultry sort of voice like a coy mistress with perfect pitch that earned her a prestigious music scholarship over the summer to take conservatory classes at Julliard. Not that she needed the scholarship, but it was the thought that counted. So yeah, Kristen could understand why Massie would be interested in displaying (cough-showing-off-cough) her talent at Karaoke Night, but why, why, why would Derrick ever care?

"She somehow convinced Nikki and Josh to come, and since Nikki's going, Claire and Kemp decided to go, and since they were going, Todd wants to tag along too. And obviously Olivia will go, which means Cam will come too. So everyone's going to be there," he said in a rush, trying not to make eye contact and letting his brown-eyed gaze train on a spot on the ceiling.

"But we're supposed to go out to dinner Friday!" Kristen said through gritted teeth, almost stomping her foot in frustration. "Who gives a shit about karaoke? Do you understand how fucking busy I am? I have six AP classes, have to run Shakespeare club meetings, pilates, Cum Laude Society meetings and heading the planning committee for the Autumn Fest Ball- the most freaking important event of the _year_! Besides, if we go out to dinner on Friday, then we can still go to the bonfire on Saturday, like you really wanted. Dylan," She whipped around to look imploringly at her roommate. "Wouldn't you rather go to the bonfire than Karaoke Night?"

"Um, actually Kris, I'd rather not go to the bonfire..." Dylan said in a small voice, giving her a guilty half-smile when Kristen stared at her, open-mouthed.

"Yeah, me either," Derrick said quickly, frown lines creasing adorably between his golden brows.

"Derrick, I-" Kristen started to say no and saw the desperation that clouded Derrick's puppy-dog eyes and sighed. "Fine. Let's go."

_**the selfless saint**_

___Touch me... just like that. And that- oh, yeah. Now that's heaven. Now that I like. God, that's so nice... Now lower down, where the figs lie... _

Nikki sang along softly with the crooning voice of Gideon Glick coming from the iPod dock speakers and blushed as she remembered Josh's words from a few hours before.

"This is like, such baby-making music, Dalton," he had said, flopping onto her bed while she scribbled away at her Chemistry homework by her desk. "This dude is so horny. I never knew you were into this kinda stuff. It's pretty hot," He smirked and she shot him a scandalized look, heat creeping up the back of her neck as she shook her head vigorously.

"N-no, it's not like that! This is just the soundtrack from _Spring Awakening. _I mean, yeah, there's lots of um, sexual repression evident in the plot line, but there's no actual um... action or anything. I mean, not in that scene at least... n-not that I watch that kind of stuff normally, cuz I don't, I swear!" she stuttered nervously. "Claire wanted to see it and I was bored so... stop smirking like that!"

"Whatever you say, love," Josh grinned slyly at her flushed face and winked. "But, just sayin'... I totally wouldn't mind if you wanted to touch my figs. I think I'd like it, actually."

That was when she kicked him out.

But for some reason, even though Josh's comment had been completely repulsive and uncalled for, she didn't feel angry when she literally pushed him out the door. His sexual humor was actually kind of funny (and- though she would never admit it- also kind of cute, in this weird, twisted sort of way). And besides, she wasn't nearly as disgusted with him as she would have been if say, Chris Abeley had said the same thing. Smiling fondly, she glanced up at the _Spring Awakening _poster she had bought when Claire, in an impromptu moment during the summer, "borrowed" her father's private jet and flew them up to New York City when Nikki had stayed with her at her summer house in the Hamptons. Claire, with her ridiculous connections to all things theater and television due to her famous father, had somehow snagged them on-stage seats the day of the show and Nikki got the witness the most breathtakingly amazing musical of her life. Nikki determined that the shy, adorably gullible Ernst was her favorite while Claire, in true Claire fashion, was torn between the fucked-up Moritz, the forceful, intelligent Melchior and the cocky, gorgeous Hanschen. She finally settled on Hanschen and even managed to get a hold of Matt Doyle, who played the role, after the show was over to steal a kiss. Needless to say, Nikki was ridiculously jealous.

Suddenly, the door slammed behind her and, recognizing Claire's slam, Nikki didn't bother turning around.

"Hey Claire, your monthly supply of British Kit-Kats and mango-flavored Hi-Chew came this afternoon," she called, referring to the imported Japanese candy Claire obsessed over. "I put them on your bed."

Instead of the typical squeal of delight, she heard a sniffle. Alarmed, she whipped around.

"Claire?" Nikki whispered, eyes widening when she saw her best friend sink to the floor and dissolve into tears. "Oh, honey, what happened?" She ran toward her and wrapped her arms around Claire's slender frame, feeling a slight deja-vu as she painfully remembered doing the same exact comforting to Dylan just a few hours before.

"N-nik, I did something bad," the blonde whimpered, raising her face to reveal tracks of mascara streaking past her slightly bloodshot cerulean eyes. Nikki felt an ominous sense of dread creep up but tried to look supportive as she hugged her tighter.

"Claire, it's alright. Just tell me what happened," she said soothingly, silently hoping it was nothing too awful.

"I... I ch-cheated on Kemp!" Claire sobbed, hiding her face in the heavy folds of her emerald green Michael Kors cashmere sweater. Nikki's lips parted with shock. This wasn't like the normal cheating and dumping process Claire went through so often with some nameless guy. This was _Kemp. _As in, best friends since elementary school, soul mate, the Clyde to Claire's Bonnie Kemp. The Kemp that _they both _loved beyond reason, who loved them in return, protected and trusted them with an intensity unmatched by any of Nikki's old friends.

"Okay, shh, shh, calm down Claire," she said quickly, gears whirring in her head as she processed this disturbing piece of information. "Let it all out. Tell me what happened."

"I-I didn't mean to!" she whimpered, sniffling. "He was just there and I don't know what came over me and I'm such a terrible person because I... I..." she trailed off, widening her watering eyes, silently pleading Nikki to understand. "I didn't even think of Kemp once when it happened. I didn't feel like I did anything wrong. I didn't feel _anything, _Nikki!" she almost shouted, slamming her fists against the carpeted floor. "And I _still _don't feel guilty, Nik! I just don't! And the worst part is, I want to do it again..." Her voice cracked at the end and she let out a shuddering breath before slumping against the wall, looking exhausted.

"Claire... Claire, honey, listen to me..." Nikki said gently, trying to wrap her head around her best friend's anguished ramble and regain her attention. "Claire, who did you, um... who was it?"

There was a long pause and Claire smiled shakily, with a deep sadness Nikki had never seen before reflected in her ocean-blue eyes.

"Derrick."

"Derrick?" Nikki repeated, furrowing her dark brows, bemused. "As in, Kristen's boyfriend?" When Claire didn't respond, she sighed. Oh, the tangled webs Claire always seemed to get caught in. Usually the game plan was to simply rise out of the sticky mess, regardless of who got hurt in the process. But when the web included Kemp and... wait, she wanted to do it again? "Claire, did you say that you wanted to... do it again? Do you... like Derrick?" she demanded, hoping desperately the answer was no. If she didn't, then the problem could easily be solved. Otherwise...

"I... I don't know," she moaned, covering her face with her hands. "I think I do."

"Shit."

_**the sweetheart**_

"See you later, Cam," His girlfriend whispered against his lips as he ran his hands appreciatively along her slender waist and hips. "I love you."

"Love you too, Liv," he mumbled, pulling her in for another kiss and groaning when she pulled away before their lips could touch again. Her cornflower-blue eyes twinkled innocently in the darkness outside Benetton as she playfully swatted him away.

"Don't be greedy," she giggled, batting her barely-visible lashes. "I'll see you tomorrow, sweetie," Olivia chirped, quickly pecking his cheek and flouncing away from him and through the door with a small finger-wiggle and wink.

"Bye," Cam whispered, suddenly feeling cold when she disappeared behind the door. He turned to walk away, his head a mess of thoughts. He knew Olivia suspected him already of having his mind on other things... and he felt like an awful person because it was true. He was thinking about something else. Actually, _someone _else. Who happened to be a really really beautiful girl and one of his best friends and- oh god, what was he doing? He had been completely ready to yank his friendship away from Nikki when she lied about Olivia cheating on him. But the moment he saw her all lovey-dovey with Josh, he felt this overwhelming sense of anger and jealousy rip through him and twist his head into this fucked up mess. But that couldn't be because he liked Nikki like that, could it? Because he already had a perfect, beautiful, sweet girlfriend. And there was no way anything could change that, right?

But what about that little tiny detail that kept floating around, no matter how many times Cam denied it?

_Olivia's cheating on you. _

_"Dude, you're like her bitch. I mean, she parades you around like you're on a collar and plays you and-" _

_"I mean, you're not the only one tapping that ass, man. I mean, sure, she's smokin' and all, but damn man, you must really fucking love her to be dating such a-"_

_"Oh, and for the record Cam," Todd mumbled again, standing up shakily to make his way to the door. "Olivia is cheating on you."_

Nikki, Derrick, Todd... there was no way he trusted any of them over his girlfriend's word but he felt his resolve breaking down. He understood how Nikki could have ulterior motives in trying to convince him of those lies but Derrick and Todd- his good friends- wouldn't really lie to him about something like that. But it couldn't be true, it just couldn't. Olivia _loved _him. And he loved her. But what about all those times Cam found himself outside her dorm room and he'd hear that breathy giggle and the rustle of something before she opened the door? What about the tousled hair and clothes when she hugged him? What about those hasty excuses he always accepted for undeniable truths? What about that unmistakable guilt he saw in those eyes he loved so much?

_No, _he thought to himself, shaking his head. _She is not cheating on me. She loves me. She would never do that. _

But it was too late. The seed of doubt had been planted. It was just a matter of time before it grew into something Cam had worked so hard to avoid.

_**the new girl**_

"Favorite embarrassing movie."

"My Fair Lady."

"Aww, that's so sweet. Little crush on Audrey Hepburn? You're such a cutie."

"Um, thanks?"

"Least favorite vegetable."

"Eggplant, for definites. It's so mushy."

"Who even says 'for definites' anymore?"

"Shut up."

"Mkay, loser... favorite music genre."

"Britpop."

"Wait, that's actually, like, the coolest thing I've ever heard. Like, Oasis and Supergrass and stuff?"

"You actually know what Britpop is? My respect for you has gone up, like, quintuple infinity to the pi power notches."

"Ignoring that completely dorktastic statement, you are officially the coolest person I've ever met."

"Ditto," Chris grinned crookedly and licked the tip of his strawberry and mint chocolate chip ice cream cone, smudging his freckled nose in the process. Dylan giggled and spooned some Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough-flavored fro-yo into her glossed mouth. She was having way more fun than she had ever expected with Chris. Besides being a complete loser (in, like the awesome, 'I secretly love Glee and making parfaits, dressing up as Harry Potter characters and pretending to play Quidditch, and own the world's sixteenth largest collection of Broadway Playbills' way; not the creepy 'I sit in my room and play Call of Duty and World of Warcraft for hours on end' type) that she completely adored, he was actually really easy to talk to. And flirt with. Innocently, of course.

"Of course I'm the coolest person you've ever met. Have you seen me? I'm freaking awesome," Dylan exclaimed, swiping the tiny gummy bears off the top of her fro-yo with her nearly frozen tongue. Chris laughed and the bored-looking teenager sitting behind the counter of the near empty "Ben and Jerry's" they were sitting in shot them an annoyed glare and cracked her gum loudly.

"You're really different," Chris said finally, smiling at her fondly. Dylan's smile froze in place as she remembered Todd saying the same exact thing to her when they were stuck on the elevator to his penthouse. The thought made her nostalgic, happy and furious all at once and she shook her head to clear it. "Like, you're not like the other uptight, prissy girls at this school. You're funny and sweet and cute-" He immediately stopped, blushing furiously when he realized what he just said.

"You think I'm cute?" Dylan asked slyly, tilting her head to the side to let her auburn curls tumble in soft waves past her freckled shoulder. The compliment made her feel light and airy and unwittingly, a smile bloomed across her face. Chris let out a nervous laugh when she arched a brow at him.

"Yes. Very," he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck with a sheepish expression.

"Good," Dylan grinned and he looked up at her with a small half-smile. "Because I think you're very cute too. I also think that you're going to be my date to the Autumn Fest Ball," she said authoritatively.

Kristen had explained that Autumn Fest was a huge festival held at the end of September at Windsor complete with booths set up by different clubs to sell autumn-related goods (like maple syrup-lollipops from the Culinary Union, crimson, gold and chocolate-colored cashmere scarves from D-I-Y Fashion Society and Earl Grey tea-tasting from the Mad Hatter Tea Time Club), hayrides, raffles, cheesy games, small amusement park rides like the Ferris Wheel and bumper cars and of course, the Autumn Fest Ball. The ball was like Windsor's version of Homecoming ("Only, like, a thousand times classier and more elegant," Kristen had proclaimed, sticking her perfect nose in the air) and was the biggest social event of the year, even outing Prom in terms of preparation and importance of having appropriate eye-candy for a date.

"Hmmm, what if I don't want to be your date? What if I'm already going with someone else?" Chris asked seriously, but the playful glint in his sapphire eyes betrayed his feelings.

"Then I'll have to perform the cold-blooded murder of the lucky bitch who stole your heart and threaten to spread a rumor about your bed-wetting problem-"

"I don't have bed-wetting problem!"

"So? It would still spread. And people will call you Wet Willy for the rest of the year. How would like that, Plovert?"

"You're evil."

"Flattery will get you nowhere," She winked at his comically shocked expression. "Will you be the eye-candy I get to drag around on my arm or what?"

Chris sighed heavily and looked martyred, fighting the full-blown grin that was threatening to spread across his face.

"I suppose I have no choice, do I?"

"Nope."

"Well then, Miss Marvil. Looks like you got yourself a date for the Autumn Fest."

* * *

**Opinions on any of the new (but by no means official) pairings popping up? **


	15. we'regettingdowntillthesun'scomingup

**I'm sorry. So, so, so sorry. **

**I know it's been forever, but I hope some of you are still out there reading. **

* * *

**_the it girl _**

Claire Lyons didn't do sadness. Not even a little bit.

At least that's what she told herself as she stared blankly at the mirror. Mirrors were supposed to show reflections. The mirror said she looked beautiful, happy, carefree, when in reality, she felt like a confused, out of control bitch who was drowning in a downward spiral of lies, deceit and broken hearts.

She slowly lifted the sticky wand of her Sephora Urban Decay gloss to her lips, then lowered it and sighed.

Was it possible to be in love with two people at the same time? Not that she was, you know, "in love" with Derrick- right? Derrick was just Derrick. Soccer team captain Derrick. BMOC Derrick. _Kristen's_ Derrick. Really, there was nothing special about him. Sure, he was one of the most lusted-after guys in the school and yeah, he was a pretty sensational lay and okay, he did look at her like she was the most precious thing on the face of the planet when they were entangled together on the floor of the Econ classroom. And he said he loved her. But whatever, right? Because he was out-of-bounds. Not that it had ever stopped her before, but she had Kemp now. And the bond she shared with Kemp could never- ever ever ever- be replicated with anyone else.

_I just won't tell him, _Claire decided, nodding. _I love Kemp and Derrick was just a mistake and it's never going to happen again. _

But even as she thought it, she couldn't help but remember the way Derrick's arms wrapped around her like a warm caccoon and how beautiful and _safe _she felt when he looked at her.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a sharp knock on the door. She furrowed her golden brows. Kemp wasn't supposed to pick her up to head over to Karaoke Night for another ten minutes. But she gingerly made her way to the door, careful not to trip over the tangled mess of discarded Michael Kors jeans, silk Hermes scarves and studded Lorick boots that littered her side of the floor.

She had barely got a glance of the person as she opened the door before a blur of thick chestnut hair and Chanel No. 5 _whooshed_ past her and kicked the door shut with the heel of a red velvet Valentino pump.

"To what do owe this pleasure, Block?" Claire raised an eyebrow and leaned casually against the closed door. She fixed her steely, blue-eyed gaze on the brunette smirking at her. "Because I'm pretty sure there's a sign outside saying 'No White Trash Allowed'."

"Ever the charmer, Lyons," Massie crooned, making herself at home on Claire's messy bedspread. "I'm sure Derrick just _adores _your witty repertoire. So much so that he's willing to cheat on his killer bitch girlfriend to hear it when he's fucking you in the Economics classroom."

Claire stopped breathing for exactly 12 seconds. She counted.

Massie's smirk grew.

"So I think you know what I'm here for."

Claire nodded numbly.

"You're going to give me that Balenciaga coat I like. The gold satin one. And that new Marc Jacobs _Dazzle _perfume. And your signature Urban Decay gloss. Because we're best friends now, right?" She arched a dark brow and Claire forced a smile.

"Yeah. Best friends."

"You're _so_ much smarter than Derrick. I'm glad we understand each other," Massie's smile widened and she sashayed over to the closet to pluck the shimmery coat from the hanger and drape it over her shoulders. It was a little long- her petite 5'4" was dwarfed by Claire's 5'8"- but she still admired herself from every angle in the vanity. Then she swiped the perfume and gloss in her manicured hands and stuffed them into the sequined pockets. "I expect to see you cheering the loudest at Karaoke Night when I'm up on stage," Massie gave her a final, malicious grin and made her way to the door.

"You know, you should think about joining the Secret Service, Mass," Claire said finally, rubbing her temples.

"Yeah, I know," Massie said breezily before closing the door behind her with a soft click.

Shit.

Claire barely had time to curse her terrible luck when she heard another knock on the door.

"What, Massie?" she groaned and opened the door. But instead of Massie, it was Kemp's amused face that gazed down at her. "Kemp!" she breathed, feeling the air disappear from her lungs. Did he hear any of the conversation?

"Massie was here?" Kemp simply raised an eyebrow and let himself into the room, shutting the door behind him. "Since when were you guys such good friends?"

"We're not," Claire replied quickly, breaking eye contact and busied herself with clearing the plethora of clothes and shoes that littered the floor. "She just needed to borrow... the day-after pills. Yeah."

"Really, now?" He smirked and flopped onto Nikki's bedspread. "Because I thought I saw her leave wearing _your _jacket. Were the pills in that?" he teased, grabbing the 'N'-embroidered silk pillow and throwing it up into the air and catching it.

"As a matter of fact they were," she huffed, sitting primly on her own bed. "Besides, where have you been all day? I tried calling you before but you didn't pick up."

"I was hanging with Carrie," Kemp said absently, staring at the wall. "Photography chick from my class last year."

"Adultery, eh? Kind of like the Scarlet Letter. We should brand you with the letter 'A' on your clothes like that chick from _Easy A _and throw stuff at you while screaming about what a big slut you are," Claire babbled nervously, only half-joking. To be honest, a little, teeny part of her hoped he was cheating. Because if he was, she could come clean about Derrick and then they could start off on a fresh slate.

"Ha ha," Kemp rolled his eyes and threw her a winsome smile. "You know I'd never cheat on you."

_Yeah, I know. Fuck you and your complete and utter perfection. _

"Hey listen," Kemp said quickly and sat up straight, looking unusually alert and eager. Considering the fact that his main modes were 'bored', 'really bored' and 'horny', Claire was intrigued.

"What's up?"

"C'mere," He waved her over, pulling out his iPod. She sat on the bed beside him and he gave her a headphone, which she put in her ear.

"I'm rubbish at singing, yeah?" he said quickly, rubbing the back of his neck. He actually looked a little bit bashful and Claire fought the urge to fling her arms around him and kiss him for all he was worth. "And, like, I'd never sing in front of a crowd, 'cause I'd suck so bad, they'd have to like, commit me. But um, if I was to sing you a song, it would be this one."

He clicked a button and Claire shut her eyes tightly at the opening of a song she knew very, very well.

_Do you hear me? I'm talking to you. _

_Across the waters, across the deep blue ocean, under the open sky, oh my. _

_Baby, I'm trying. _

_Boy, I hear you, in my dreams. _

_I feel you whisper across the sea. _

_I keep you with me, in my heart. _

_You make it easier when life gets hard. _

"Lucky I'm in love with my best friend," Kemp sang softly in her ear, sending a warm shiver down her spine. What a liar. Kemp sounding like Joshua freaking Radin. And here he was, being so uncharacteristically sweet and tender.

"We have to go. We're late, babe," She shot up from the bed, ripping the headphone from her ear, turning away so he wouldn't see her blinking back tears. Why did he have to love her so much? She couldn't stand to even look at him. "Seriously, Nik's going to kill us."

**_the unnattainable _**

Todd Lyons didn't do sadness. Not even a little bit.

Except for maybe that time when his dad missed the championships of his summer soccer tournament in Italy, and that time when he failed that huge Chemistry final in 10th grade because he had gotten smashed the night before and _almost _destroyed his chance at Oxford- oh, and the time Skye dumped him.

And maybe when he dumped Dylan without any explanation and had to actually ninja roll out of the hallways just so he could avoid seeing her and her stupidly perfect red curls and stupidly perfect green eyes.

God, even after ending it, he was still whipped.

He could barely stand studying in the Benetton common room anymore because all he could ever concentrate on was the dead look in her normally lively eyes and the listless way she did her homework. So he stopped going and actually went to the basement of the library- a haven for socially awkward geeks to play Halo and World of Warcraft after school- to do homework and study. Yes, he realized it was a cowardly move but whatever.

Finally, after a few days of this awkward avoidance, he heard from Kristen that she was going out with some asshole (okay, so he didn't know if the kid was actually an asshole or not but really, he could be the next Gandhi and Todd would still think he was one) and couldn't handle it any longer.

"So, I, um, kinda... followed her on her date," he admitted sheepishly to an incredulous Josh.

"You are a sketch, you know that? A total creeper. Like, 'He's climbin' in your window, snatchin' yo' people up, trying rape 'em, so y'all need to hide your kids, hide your wife and hide your husband cuz Todd Lyons' is rapin' errbody out there' type of creep."

"Funny," Todd rolled his eyes and shoved his hands into his pockets. "You're an ass."

"Better an ass than an creepy, obsessive ex-boyfriend," Josh shot back. "You never told me why you broke up with her anyway. Nikki said she was devastated."

"You're going to think I'm an idiot if I tell you."

"Probably."

"That means 'no', you tool," Todd snapped. "It was for personal reasons and you know what? I'm really gutted over it too, so shut the fuck up."

"God, you're more melodramatic than my little sister when she gets her period," Josh grinned, shoving him lightly. "She goes crazy. One second she's cursing out the world like an emoteen and the next, she's rolling on the ground complaining about cramps. It's hilarious. And by the way, swearing with British slang makes me laugh and not take you seriously- dude, who says 'gutted'?"

"I do," he mumbled lamely and Josh snorted.

"Yeah, sure, okay."

They continued to shove each other back and forth until they reached the student lounge, which had been decorated to look like one of those chic Karoake Bars in Tokyo. It was dark, but strings of multicolored lights were draped artistically across the ceilings and walls, casting a technicolor glow on the students milling around. Small, low-standing tables and booths lined the walls and were scattered haphazardly around the floor. They were already filling up, with friends already squeezing onto the same chairs and on each others laps. At the front of the room was a low stage, which was empty except for a stool, a large screen for the lyrics, and a few microphones.

"Todd! Josh! Over here!" Nikki's shout was barely heard over the noise, but they spotted her silky chestnut waves in the crowd and made their way to a circular booth that was especially close to the stage. Nikki was sitting at one end, next to Claire, who was busy fixing fixing the collar on Kemp's worn Polo rugby on her other side. Squished next to Kemp was Cam and Olivia, who were unusually demure and just stared straight ahead without any of their usual, vomit-inducing heartfelt gazes and saccharine-sweet smiles. Next to them was Derrick, who was busy texting on his phone, which cast a bluish glow on his expressionless face. Kristen was on his left, twisting a sun-soaked blonde curl around her finger and chatting with some semi-nerdy, blonde-haired, glasses-wearing guy Todd recognized with a jolt. It was the asshole Dylan went on a date with to Ben&Jerry's. He fought the urge to punch something, hard. And on the asshole's other side was Dylan and Todd felt a pang in his chest. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. She was talking to the asshole and Kristen with an unusually bright grin on her face, that lively look back in her eyes. It made him feel both happy and resentful. Yes, the point was for her to be happy. But was she really over him that quickly? "We've been trying to call you," Nikki said accusingly when they squeezed into the plush cushions that lined the seats beside her. "Neither of you picked up."

"Sorry babe," Josh smiled apologetically and leaned in to kiss her, to which Nikki, giggling, obliged.

"Hold off the PDA, Romeo," Claire said quickly, pulling Nikki back. Josh scowled. "You guys can do the nasty on your own time."

"Says the girl who needs to be surgically removed from her boyfriend's lips whenever she gets within five feet of him," Josh shot back and Claire stuck out her tongue. "Now you know how it feels."

"You know, just because Nathan graduated four years ago doesn't mean she doesn't have someone who's going to kick your ass, Hotz," Kemp said casually, pushing back his sleeves to subtly flex his taut arm muscles. He was referring to Nathaniel Dalton, a Windsor alumni and a current senior at Columbia. His lacrosse skills were legend- as was his short temper that tended to go off the second a guy even dared to look at his little sister.

"I'll hold him back, you punch?" Todd suggested and Kemp grinned. Claire dissolved into giggles but Josh looked visibly panicked and scooted away from his girlfriend.

"Don't worry, _hermanos,_" Josh stuttered, lapsing into Spanish, which he only did when he was scared or trying to impress a girl with his 'sexy Euro appeal'. "I'm going to buy her a purity ring tomorrow, first thing."

"Guys, leave him alone," Nikki smiled and tucked herself underneath her boyfriend's arm.

"Yeah, whatever babe," Claire rolled her eyes, shoving her lightly. "I think you're-"

"Hey y'all!" A loud voice interrupted her and they all turned to the stage, where Maddie, a fellow Benetton girl and one of the co-heads of the Student Activities Board, was standing, clutching the microphone in her hand. "We're really excited for the great turnout and can't wait to get started."

Her sentence was drowned out by cheers and whistles and she smiled patiently until they subsided to continue.

"There are tons of Starbucks-sponsored cookies, brownies and hot chocolate at the back of the room. All proceeds go to Windsor's FACEAIDS organization, so y'all should definitely buy some. With that, we have our first performer. Give it up for Massie Block!"

The cheers were deafening. Todd rolled his eyes. If Kristen was universally feared/worshipped, Claire was universally envied, Nikki was universally beloved, then Massie was universally... god, he didn't even know. Most girls used words like 'psycho', 'bitch' and 'fucking crazy' to describe her, but they still secretly would give about anything to _be her, _with her sultry voice, a solid fanbase of stupid jocks who thought she was a good lay and the way she commanded attention- good and bad. Usually bad, but whatever. Better than nothing.

The opening chords of "Touch Me" from The Rocky Horror Picture Show started, and Massie glided onto the stage, dressed the part in a skimpy, pale gold slip trimmed with lace and sky-high heels. The cheers of the lower classmen boys grew and she winked into the crowd as the lyrics came up onto the screen.

"I was feeling down in, couldn't win. I've only ever kissed before..." she crooned into the mike.

"Yeah, Massie!" Nikki and Claire shouted in unison and everyone at the table threw them confused looks, which Claire ignored and Nikki simply shrugged to.

"I thought there's no use getting into heavy petting... it only leads to trouble and... seat-wetting," Massie winked again and Todd laughed.

"God, she sounds like a cheap hooker," He shook his head and Kemp laughed. "I can't believe there aren't any teachers here. She'd get into so much trouble for singing this."

"I think she's good," Nikki said stubbornly and turned to Josh, who was staring at Massie just a bit too intently. "What do you think, Josh?"

"Um, what?" he mumbled, not tearing his gaze from Massie's lithe form, which was sliding up and down the microphone stand like it was a pole.

"Harlot," Kristen said in a barely-disguised whisper, her voice carrying across the table. "If Julliard falls through, at least she can get a job at Hooters, flashing forty-something men for tips, or as a part-time 'exotic dancer' in Atlanta," Everyone in the vicinity- with the exception of Nikki, Josh and Olivia- burst out laughing, but it wasn't heard over the wolf-whistles of the testoserone-high freshman who were practically drooling at the foot of the stage. "This is awful, love, can we leave?" She turned to Derrick pleadingly, who frowned.

"Uh..."

"Kris, no!" It was Dylan who spoke and Todd's head, on instinct, snapped into her direction. She was looking at Kristen imploringly, running a hand through her luxuriant auburn curls tamed back with a woven, royal purple and white silk headband. He couldn't take his eyes off her. It was like all the moments he had forced himself to look away were rushing back in full force and causing him to drink in the sight of the perfection that was Dylan Marvil- the one he let get away. "Stay!"

"Yeah, Kristen, you should stay," said the blonde asshole- the same guy she went on that stupid date with. "I need someone to protect me from this crazy person," He winked at Dylan, who giggled and blushed in response.

He couldn't take it anymore. Suddenly, all he could see was red but if he had learned anything from that Nonviolence philosophy course, civil disobedience was the way to go, not punching that blonde asshole in the face, no matter how good it felt. He stood and pushed his way through the crowd and towards the stage, ignoring the questioning shouts and protests of his friends behind him.

Screw good intentions. He was going to make Dylan Marvil fall in love with him again, no matter what it took.

**_the new girl _**

"Um, what is he doing?" Claire asked, arching a golden brow and craning her neck to see better.

"No idea," Kristen shrugged and tried to catch sight of her half-brother's mop of strawberry blonde waves in the crowd.

Dylan sat there nervously, biting her nails.

She hadn't been oblivious to the fiery looks Todd had sent in her direction, burning holes into her back as she flirted with Chris, who looked strangely at ease, crushed between her and the pristine queen bee. But she hadn't spared the Lyons twin a single glance, for revenge. So he wanted to end that amazing, no-strings-attached relationship they had? Fine. She could move on. No problem whatsoever.

Chris was great. He was cute, he was sweet, he was fun, he could make her laugh, he was a bit dorky- in a good way. He was more or less the perfect person to help him get over-

"Oh god," Kristen scrunched up her freckle-smattered nose with disgust. "Please do not tell me that he's singing _Justin Bieber._"

Everyone fell silent with mutual mortification and shock as Todd jumped onto the stage, cutting Massie's song short, much to her fury. He snatched the microphone from her grip and nodded towards the AV squad, who had changed the song to an upbeat, techno tune.

"My friends say I'm a fool to think that you're the one for me, I guess I'm just a sucker for love,"

He wasn't singing exactly- more talking quickly with a lyrical, seductive edge that nearly brought every girl to her knees. Maddie, the emcee, looking ready to faint.

"Cuz honestly, the truth is that you know I'm never leaving, cuz you're my angel sent from above," Todd fixed his steely gaze on her and she felt herself heat up from both embarrasment and... well, to be honest...

Okay, she was totally turned on.

"Love me, love me, say that you love me. Fool me, fool me, oh how you do me. Kiss me, kiss me, say that you miss me- tell me what I wanna hear. Tell me you love me..." He was still looking at her but no one seemed to notice because most of the girls had began to scream and cheer for him like he actually was Justin Bieber and they were middle school girls at a sold-out concert.

"This song is such a rip-off of _Lovefool, _by The Cardigans," Claire huffed, crossing her arms. "Leave it to Bieber to kill a song I love."

"Wasn't it on the Romeo+Juliet soundtrack?" Nikki questioned and Claire held her hand out for a high-five.

"You know it!"

"Who is he looking at?" Kristen demanded suddenly and the table fell silent. "Seriously, I feel like he's looking at someone."

Dylan immediately broke eye contact and stared at the table, emotions swirling inside her like a tornado.

Fear. Because she had finally established a good relationship with Kristen and didn't want to jeopardize it now.

Anger. At Todd, for dumping her so suddenly and now singing like some sort of sex god, practically seducing her back.

Hope. Because Todd, even though he was so close to screwing everything up, still must have felt _something. _

Confusion. Because she suddenly became aware that Chris' arm was loosely wound around her waist, Todd was looking at her with desperation in his perfect, ocean-blue eyes, Nikki, Claire and Josh were exchanging worried glances, and Kristen was squinting at the crowd to see who he could possibly be looking at, with the precision of a trained killer.

If there was a god, Dylan prayed that he would make the world swallow her up. Because she really couldn't handle all this anymore.

* * *

**That's a wrap. I made it longer than usual to satisfy you all :) **

**Please review. I know I don't really deserve them after making you wait for so long, but it would be very much appreciated. **


	16. and i don't even know

Sorry. Again. For sucking at updating.

* * *

**_the big man on campus _**

"Ouch..."

"Sorry."

"Can you watch the blowout, babe?"

"Uh, yeah, sure,"

"Shit, that was my foot!"

"My bad..."

"Derrick, this isn't working."

"Yeah, okay. We'll stop."

The two stumbled out of the pitch black janitor's closet, squinting into the bright halogen lights of the deserted hallway. Derrick sighed and ran a hand through his har, feeling torn between exasperation and frustration. He was hoping that one of his mid-morning hookups with his girlfriend would distract him from all the shit with Claire that was going down, but clearly the Fates were after him because they couldn't find the fucking light switch and ended up with more unintentional bruises than lovebites.

Kristen ran her hands down the sides of her sleek grey BCBG pinstripe trousers and flicked a perfectly coiffed blonde curl into place. She bit her slightly bruised bottom lip with a pensive look and sighed as well. Derrick glanced at her for a split second to admire the way those tight pants sculpted her perfectly toned ass and the hint of cleavage visible from the top of her filmy Anna Sui floral blouse. She was beyond hot, as usual, but even that wasn't enough to get him in the mood.

"So, I think I'm going to head back to Physics," Kristen said flatly, fixing her gaze on a spot on the floor. He nodded unenthusiastically.

"Uh, yeah. I should probably go to Econ now anyway."

She gave him a simple nod and walked away, leaving him staring after her with no emotion. Once she turned the corner, he sunk to the floor and leaned against a locker, feeling like shit. Where did the sparks go? Kristen was everything he could ask for in a girlfriend. So why was everything so... boring? Sighing, he ran his hands through his already messy blonde hair and glanced at his Rolex. 9:27 AM. He was already 12 minutes late for Econ. Not that it mattered really. He had been recruited for Duke and Harvard for lacrosse and soccer so it wasn't like his grades actually made any difference. Still, it would probably be a good idea to show up.

He swung his Northface backpack across his shoulder and jogged through the empty hallways towards the Econ classroom, pausing only to check out that hot new exchange student from France- Becca Wilder, was it?- complete with a beret over her curls and a charming Parisian accent.

"Late again, Mr. Harrington," Dr. Vanderbilt snapped as he tried to slip through the door unnoticed. Derrick sighed and plastered on his patented 'sheepish-but-winsome' smile that usually let him off the hook with teachers.

"Sorry Dr. V," He smiled but the beady-eyed Columbia Ph.D just glared at him. "See, I was walking through the hallways and there was this injured-"

"Spare me the sob stories, Harrington and take your seat," he interrupted in an icy tone and Derrick quickly glanced around the room. All the seats were taken except for one- right next to the elusive Claire Lyons. Unsure whether to be ecstatic or frustrated, he made his way over and slid into the seat.

He glanced out of the corner of his eye to see if Claire had noticed him, but she was just staring at the board and furiously scribbling down notes. Derrick took a moment to admire the way she rocked the 'just-rolled-out-of-bed' look in her navy and white pinstriped Ralph Lauren boxer shorts, pale grey tank and UGG slippers. Her gold-threaded blonde hair cascaded in messy waves past her shoulders and just brushed the small of her back.

"I would say that you're uncharacteristically late today," she murmured out of the corner of her mouth but didn't spare him a glance. "But I know you well enough that you were probably just shagging your girlfriend in the janitor's closet."

"I would say that you're paying a lot more attention in Econ than usual," he whispered back, taking out his notebook and pen. "But I know you well enough that you're probably just doing that to avoid thinking about how we had sex right next to where Vanderbilt's desk is."

"Fuck you," she said simply, ocean-blue eyes still trained on the blackboard, where their teacher was busy drawing a Supply and Demand curve.

"You already have, love," he smirked, copying down the graph. "Jealous that I was late because I was hooking up with Kristen?"

"Jealous that I chose Kemp over you and would do it again in heartbeat?"

"That hurts, Lyons,"

"It was meant to, Harrington,"

"When are you going to stop doing this?" he demanded in a harsh whisper, glancing to see if Dr. Vanderbilt was watching before turning to glare at her. "You felt something, I know you did. Stop lying to me and yourself."

"So what? So what if I did feel something?" Claire whispered back in an even harsher tone, but still didn't dare look at him. "It changes nothing."

"It changes everything!" Derrick almost shouted, but Claire stomped on his Nike-clad foot before he could raise his voice. "You know me, Claire. I can keep up with you. You and me- we're the same, babe."

"Don't call me 'babe'," she said quietly, finally turning to him with an unusally serious look in her eyes. "There's nothing between us."

"Give me a chance," he said spontaneously and she arched an eyebrow. "One date- just one- and I'll prove to you that I can keep up. I can prove that I'm better for you."

"I..." she faltered, glancing between him, her notes, and the board with a torn expression. "Fine. One date. But off-campus. I already have Block blackmailing me."

"Yeah, me too,"

"We're fucked up, aren't we?" Clarie sighed, giving him the hint of a resigned smile. Encouraged, he grinned back, feeling a renewed sense of confidence and excitement.

"Yeah. Yeah, we are."

**_the exchange student _**

"Hey yo, hey yo, my name is Todd. I use crazy Brit slang like wanker and sod..."

The boys in the dorm bathroom laughed and whooped as Josh, pretending to be Todd, jumped onto a bench in only his towel after his shower and began rapping. Todd glared from the small crowd that had gathered and flipped his middle finger while washing his hands. Josh grinned back and winked. If there was anything he loved more than booze, soccer and hot girls, it was the spotlight. And opportunities to embarrass his best friends.

"Girls love me but it sucks, 'cause I'm gay. Beatin' off to Bieber everyday-"

"Oh, you are so dead, Hotz!"

"Fight! Fight! Fight!" the rest of the boys in their hall began chanting as Todd yanked Josh down from the bench and began punching every inch of his exposed body. A few pulled out their cell phones to record the two as they wrestled their way around the cramped communal bathroom of Bartlet Dormitory- the male-counterpart to Benetton, as every room was occupied by the sons of famous politicians, actors, and CEOs of billionaire-corporations, who grew up playing polo and squash and spent their summers under the elitist glow of the the east coast sun in the Hamptons, Nantucket or Martha's Vineyard.

"Break it up, assholes!" a voice boomed and the crowd parted to let a stony-faced Danny Robbins through. "I'm the fucking prefect in this dorm and I'm telling both you bastards to get the fuck off each other before I get you DC-ed" - referring to the Disciplinary Committee that determined adequate punishment for misconduct amongst the student body. Nobody moved. "Did you not hear me?" he yelled, his normally tan, handsome face growing red. "Get the fuck away from each other!"

Todd and Josh gave each other sheepish smiles before helping each other up and turning to Danny, whose furious expression had softened only slightly.

"Sorry Robbins, won't happen again," Josh smirked, tightening the white towel around his waist and running a hand through his damp hair.

"Yeah, but next time, don't take out your anger on us, alright?" Todd smiled innocently. "Not our fault you cheated on Carrie with an STD-positive slut and got dumped."

"Wait, they broke up?" Josh said in mock surprise, trying to see how hard he could push Danny till he cracked. "I would so tap that ass," he leered, grinning as Danny's fingers curled into a fist. "Maybe I'll give her a call."

"No way, man, you're taken. I'll bang her," Todd said jokingly, but the humor was lost on Danny, who immediately lunged toward them and swung his arm hard, only to be held back by the rest of the boys in the bathroom.

"You little shitheads are so dead, you hear me?" he shouted as Todd and Josh strolled out of the bathroom without looking back. "I swear, I'll kill you if you even dare-"

The door slammed shut behind them.

"I hate that kid," Josh laughed as they walked through the hallway back to their rooms. Danny Robbins was one of the biggest, two-faced assholes he had ever met. Girls swooned over his 'luxuriant chestnut hair', baseball and lacrosse skills and washboard abs, but it was all a front. He would be the most charming gentleman around his girlfriend and the rest of Windsor's female population, but the second he was in the locker room or back in the dorm, he would swear like a drunk sailor, 'borrow-without-asking' the other guys' books, clothes and technology, and haze the freshman, who were powerless against his prefect status.

"Yeah, me too," Todd nodded in assent. "I swear, if it weren't for Dylan, I would go for Carrie. She is one cool chick. Way too good for a dick like Robbins."

"Dude, you don't even _have _Dylan. You broke up with her, remember? And then you tried to get her back but it didn't work 'cause you're a closet Beiber fanatic and therefore gay as the rainbow. Not that I have anything against gays. I'm _totally _up with that. Bromance fo' life, dude-"

"Fuck off," Todd snapped, only half-serious. "I'm not gay."

"Could've fooled me- shit! Give me my towel back!" Josh hissed as Todd grabbed the Ralph Lauren towel from around his waist and ran down the hall with it, leaving Josh standing commando.

"Suck it, Hotz!" Todd shouted and disappeared around the corner.

"If you wanted to get me naked, you just had to ask!" Josh shouted back, frustrated, but walked into his unlocked room anyway. It's not like anyone could see-

"Ohmygod!"

Shit.

"Nikki, what are you doing here?" Josh blurted out quickly, trying to find something to cover himself up as Nikki smothered her face in the pillow on his bed. Normally, he had no issue being naked in front of girls- much less ones that he was _dating_- but this was Nikki. Innocent Nikki, who had never gone beyond kissing. Who loved art, the colour yellow and Parisian history. Who had a really sweet smile that was just a bit lopsided, eyes the color of melted chocolate and a giggle that sounded like bells. His Nikki.

Whoa, Todd's homosexuality was definitely rubbing off on him.

"Um, I wanted to surprise you, I guess," Nikki said in muffled tones, as her face was still buried in the pillow; Josh grabbed a pair of old jeans from the floor and threw on a t-shirt that looked somewhat clean.

"Well, you surprised me alright," he mumbled, throwing his towel onto the bed and wiggling into the jeans. "I'm decent."

She looked up hesitantly from the pillow and Josh had to stop himself from grinning. Why was she so freaking... cute all the time?

"So, what's up?" he asked casually, shoving his hands into his pockets and leaning against the door. Nikki glanced nervously from the door to the floor, not meeting his eyes.

"Um, nothing, it's nothing," she said in a rush, standing up and making her way to the door. "Don't worry about it. I gotta go. See you later-"

"Whoa there- you're not going anywhere till you explain, love," Josh said quickly, grabbing her arm before she could leave and shut the door behind him. "Why are you acting so flustered?"

"I'm-I'm not," she stuttered, yanking her hand away and staring at the ground. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Are you..." Josh trailed off, a slight grin forming on his face when it all clicked. Huh, so that's what she was so hung up on. Cute. "Are you feeling like you maybe saw too much?"

"Yes. I mean, no! I mean-I..." She stopped and her face turned bright red.

"I'm sorry, alright?" He tried to explain. "I was caught off-guard. Todd stole my towel and I-"

"No, that's not it," she whispered and started fidgeting uncomfortably.

"What is it then?" he asked, feeling confused. Nikki didn't answer, instead rubbing her hands up and down her bare arms and biting her lip. Josh stared at her for a few moments and then another idea- a crazy, 'no-way-in-hell-is-this-possible' idea- popped into his head. "So... now do you feel like you need to show me a little too much?" he asked, smiling slightly and her head snapped up and she looked shocked.

"What if I don't want to?" she demanded, furrowing her dark brows.

"That's okay," Josh shrugged. He turned to open the door but Nikki stopped him.

"What if..." she paused and glanced up at him through her dark lashes shyly. "What if I do want to?"

Josh felt a wide grin spread onto his face and he arched an eyebrow suggestively.

"That's okay too."

_**the drama parasite**_

_Life was good in the world of Massieland_, she mused, taking a sip of her caramel macchiato she had purchased from The Little Bakery between classes. She walked down the tiled hallway of the brand-new science center (nicknamed 'The Lyons Cave' after a somewhat disasterous attempt by Claire to run an underground drug market during junior year for a dare. It had actually been quite successful until Claire had hooked up with the hot Australian exchange student named Liam and his furious girlfriend in revenge had ratted her out to Headmistress Queller), feeling invincible.

Five guys- two seniors from the lacrosse team, a junior who set the school record for fasted mile, and a sophomore and freshman (who was voted 'Hard Body Hottie' on Facebook and was the son of a mogul hotel owner from Europe respectively)- had asked her out that morning, she had gotten fourteen compliments on the perfume she had taken from Claire and best of all, Josh sat next to her during breakfast and whispered that he thought her performance at Karaoke Night was, and she quotes, "fucking hot".

Could life get any better than this? Doubtful.

"Hey Massie!" a voice chirped behind her and Massie rolled her eyes before turning around.

"Hi Nikki!" she enthused, plastering a fake smile on her face. She really was not in the mood to deal with stupid little virgins at the moment. But if the whole Josh plan was going to work, then... "What's up babe?"

Massie waited for Nikki to catch up to her and frowned. There was something a little unusual about her. Her entire face was glowing, like some slow flame was lighting her skin up from the inside, there was an uncharacteristic flush on her cheeks and her movements were more languid and flexible, like she had just gotten back from a yoga session. Almost like... no it couldn't be. She shook the offending thought from her head and smiled again.

"Hey Mass, I um..." Nikki trailed off, but the stupidly happy smile on her face didn't fade. "I just wanted to say that I think I'm going to call off the plan. The dating-Josh-to-make-Cam-jealous thing. I don't know what happened but I think I really like him. Josh, I mean," she said shyly, looking at the ground and twisting a strand of chestnut hair around her index finger before glancing up again. Massie felt all the breath escape from her lungs as sheer panic took over and blinked, hard. Oh no, no, no, no, no. This could not be happening.

"Did you, um," Massie licked her lips to add some much-need moisture. It was as though her previously ecstatic mood was like a distant dream. "Did you sleep with him or something?" she demanded, desperately hoping the answer was no. This was Nikki she was talking to, of course she didn't.

"No..." Nikki said in a small voice and a small wave of relief washed over her. "Not yet anyway," she whispered and Massie's amber eyes widened.

Fuck. The plan was going to shit. Nikki wasn't supposed to fall for Josh. And they sure as hell were not supposed to _sleep together_. Taking a deep breath, she recalculated. Okay. There was one solution to this. She inconspicuously slipped her LG Chocolate out of her pocket and held it behind her back, discreetly clicking 'Record' on a recording device app she had specially downloaded.

"So, let me get this straight. You used Josh to get to Cam, right? You never liked him in the beginning- he was just a pawn for you to make Cam jealous."

"Um, yeah, I guess," Nikki looked uncomfortable, but she nodded. "Why are we talking about this?"

"Just making sure," Massie said breezily, hoping the phone would pick up the conversation, loud and clear. "I mean, you chose Josh because he was the perfect person to manipulate since you knew he liked you and all. You used him because his feelings didn't matter. It was all for Cam."

"That's not-"

"Oh, isn't it?" Massie said shrilly, trying to reign in her hysteria. "Tell me I'm wrong, I dare you."

"No, you're right," Nikki sighed, frowning. "It was all for Cam. But-"

"Okay, thanks, that's all I needed to know," Massie said smoothly, hitting 'Stop' on the recording device and slipping into the back pocket of her True Religions.

"Are you okay, Mass?" Nikki asked with a hint of concern and Massie gave her a slightly strained smile before taking a deep breath. It was all going to work out, she repeated in her head. It was, it was, it was.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

**_the new girl_**

**mildlypsychoticredhead**: so i have an idea. you, me, a shitload of caramel popcorn, the season one dvd of glee and some tequila and salt.

**nerdfighterismadeofawesome**: sounds good... except for the salt.

**mildlypsychoticredhead**: you're a wimp, plov-man

**nerdfighterismadeofawesome**: perhaps. but you love me anyway.

**mildly psychoticredhead**: don't flatter yourself

**nerdfighterismadeofawesome**: what time shall this shinding go down?

**mildlypsychoticredhead**: i'm thinking tomorrow around six-ish?

**nerdfighterismadeofawesome**: uh, i can't hang out then. i'm busy. maybe friday. gtg bye!

**mildlypsychoticredhead**: chris wait-

_nerdfighterismadeofawesome has left. _

-x-

**mildlypsychoticredhead**: that was weird

**fortunesfool**: what happened?

**mildlypsychoticredhead**: first and foremost though- what is with your screenname kris?

**fortunesfool**: it's shakespeare. romeo montague: oh, i am fortune's fool! its my favourite piece of literature. you were saying?

**mildlypyschoticredhead**: nothing. are you doing anything tomorrow around six-ish? i'm in the mood for a glee marathon.

**fortunesfool**: um.. i think i'm busy then. sorry. maybe next time.

**mildlypsychoticredhead**: oh? that's weird. chris bailed on me too...

**fortunesfool**: derrick is calling me. ttyl bye!

_fortunesfool has left. _

-x-

**cuzimtoddlyonsandicandothat**: hi dylan

**mildlypsychoticredhead**: bye todd

**cuzimtoddlyonsandicandothat**: wait! i just wanted to say that i'm sorry. can we talk? please?

_mildlypyschoticredhead has left. _

**cuzimtoddlyonsandicandothat**: dylan?

* * *

So I have quite a lot of plans for the next chapter. Perhaps the most dramatic chapter of all, I dare say? You should review. To you know, like, spur me on. Or not. That's cool too.

( I'm a bit of a parasite, I know. Reviews are to me as Bella's blood is to sparkly Edward. Or perhaps what plasticine scissors are to Alex Turner. Or hot Jews to Noah Puckerman. Whatever floats your boat )


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